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The above was highlighted by a reader in a internet forum. Statue of Lord Vinayagar was placed near non vegetarian food. Not sure who took the picture, but surely the newspaper should have vetted such insensitive photos. So, is this a big deal for the Hindus? Or is it a small matter?
The article and image is at:
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/10/8/central/2178265&sec=central
| Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email After making police reports and voicing their plans to sue Utusan, Hindraf also vented their unhappiness over the paper’s continuing condemnation of HINDRAF, claiming that its politically motivated. I this is unavoidable because the paper is owned by a political party, so surely there will be an element of selective reporting.
Utusan Malaysia today front-paged calls for action against Hindraf supporters who were allegedly unruly at the ministerial Hari Raya ‘open house’ last Wednesday at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
The report entitled ‘Tegas tangani Hindraf’ (Deal firmly with Hindraf) quoted several individuals who called on the government to take action.
Reacting to this, Thanenthiran said: “Umno elections are around the corner. Now, they are condemning Hindraf to get Malay support…(Utusan) is trying to please its political owners.”
He claimed that the daily did not present a true picture of what transpired at the event and did not contacted Hindraf representatives for clarification either.
Another coordinator, Jayathas said that photographs of the even available on HINDRAF website is enough to show what happened on that day. But I think, there must be independent evidence as well.
“They should go to our website and see the photos. These show very clearly that everything was done in a peaceful way. It is not our culture to create havoc in other people’s house,” he said.
On suggestions in the Utusan report that Hindraf was being rude to the Malays and Islam, Jayathas said it was a non-issue because the movement merely used the opportunity to ask Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA).
“How can they say that we are racist? In what way? We are just asking for the ISA to be abolished,” he said.
Hindraf’s legal advisor, lawyer Surendran said it was the police who acted unruly that day.
“They were intimidating and threatening to arrest people who came to participate in the ‘open house’. They (initially) prevented the Hindraf supporters from entering the venue.
“One even asked P Waythamoothy’s (Hindraf chairperson-in-exile) wife to remove her t-shirt (which carried a Hindraf logo),” he said.
Surendran said Hindraf has become the victim of a harsh campaign to incite hatred against the movement and Indian Malaysians.
“They creating something out of absolutely nothing. Absolutely nothing violent happen during ‘open house’ (at) an open venue. Nothing wrong with that in a democracy,” he said.
On Home Ministry secretary-general Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof’s suggestion that Hindraf be ‘banned’, Surendran said that the statement was “absurd” and without justification.
“(Hindraf) is not a terrorist or armed movement. It is a mass movement of citizens calling for social improvement – not just for Indians, but all marginalised communities,” he added.
Although Hindraf is not a registered body, Surendran argued that the movement exists by virtue of Article 10 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees the right to freedom of association.
| Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email This is a good move from HINDRAF. They should make police report if they believe in the actions. Home Minister Syed Hamid, Utusan and its columnists, plus few other NGO leaders were issuing statements that seemed off tangent and diverting the issue into something else. Not one, but many police reports were lodged throughout the country by HINDRAF members. According to Malaysiakini, Hindraf national coordinator RS Thanenthiran, 46, who lodged the first police report this afternoon, said the movement wanted police to take action on the home minister, Utusan and the NGOs for wrongfully accusing the human rights group of “creating chaos and insulting Islam” during the open house in Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
“They should be charged under the Sedition Act for inciting communal hatred and instigating racial conflict and under the Penal Code for criminal intimidation by issuing threats to racial harmony,” said Thanenthiran (photo, left), who with Nibong Tebal Hindraf coordinator Sanjeeviramah Subramani, 42, lodged the report in Butterworth police station at 12.50pm.
That report was followed by a series of others lodged by Hindraf leaders and activists in George Town, Nibong Tebal, Simpang Empat, Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, Klang, Alor Star, Sungai Petani, Jitra, Kulim, Lunas, Ipoh, Bagan Serai, Air Tawar, Parit Buntar, Taiping, Teluk Intan, Sitiawan, Muar, Tangkak, Skudai, Kluang and Johor Bahru. Reports were also lodged this evening in Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Terengganu, Seremban, Malacca and Tanah Merah.
Earlier, HINDRAF said it was planning to sue the same group of people. Now the quantum of claim may be set as high as RM100 million it says.
The movement plans go ahead with a civil suit against the newspaper and home minister and if warranted against the NGOs as well.
Thanenthiran told reporters that Hindraf had decided to raise the quantum of its claims from RM1 million ringgit to perhaps even as high as RM100 million. The movement is now discussing the matter with its lawyers and will file the suits soon.
Last Friday, Utusan had front paged its report with the headline – ‘Hindraf Keterlaluan’ (Extreme Hindraf). Two more articles – Baharom Mahusin’s commentary in his ‘Cetusan’ column and Zulkifli Bakar’s commentary in his ‘Pada Hemat Saya’ column – published in the same edition were unfair and intimidating, alleged Thanenthiran.
“The reports and criticisms were inciting racial hatred and instigating communal conflict. The reports suggested that we trespassed the function when in truth, we were invited,” said Thanenthiran.
“The function was not held in a mosque not a buka puasa event. It was organised in a common public building with an open invitation to all Malayians. Suddenly open houses during festive seasons were given new definitions, thanks to Syed Hamid and Utusan,” he added.
The Hindraf leader also alleged this was not first time the Malay daily had played up communal hatred and conflict against various organisations and individuals in the country.
Thanenthiran also challenged Syed Hamid, Utusan and the NGOs to speak the truth and apologise to the movement for “distorting facts and lying to the public.”
| Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email Dr S.Subra said that both HINDRAf and MIC are fighting to get the ISA detainees released, but they are using different approaches. MIC, he says, does not believe in “crowding” Hari Raya open houses.
“This sort of behaviour does not serve well for a united multiracial nation. It also does not reflect the true nature of our Indian culture,” he said.
Dr Subramaniam said the group had created discomfort at the function. Discomfort??? Taking a ride in LRT or RapidKL gives you more discomfort la!
He said everyone should emulate Opposition leaders such as DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, who, despite political differences, attended open houses and joined the festivities in true Malaysian spirit. Dr Subramaniam said the MIC would continue to talk to Abdullah, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Cabinet ministers to lobby for the release of the five. He said the MIC pursued the matter on humanitarian grounds and because of pleas made to the party by the families of the detainees.
NST covered the same news as well, but its headline screamed Hindraf went ‘over the limit’. However, the only time the word “limit” came in the article was when Dr S.Subra said:
He acknowledged that it was the group’s democratic right to be at the open house but noted that everything had its limits.
Looks like NST is also following Utusan now.
Meanwhile, Hindraf national event coordinator Kannan Ramasamy reiterated that they were invited to the open house and had been orderly. He said Dr Subramaniam should have inquired about the actual situation before commenting on the conduct of the Hindraf members.
By the way, Haris Ibrahim who was at PWTC documents his experience. As for Utusan, they continue to spin more misleading articles. Today, the police are being pressured to investigate, calls for tough action are being made (more politicians were commenting on Sunday’s edition), and a different part of Dr S.Subra’s interview was published. Utusan has deviated from the anti-ISA visitors to Hindraf-bashing. In fact, majority of the papers did not talk about Free RPK supporters nor offer any proof of the “protestors” shouting, fighting, or causing “discomfort”. Probably the police are fuming that their were made to look like fools in front of their political bosses, and the politicians are angry that their exclusivity was breached.
| Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email Probably Hindraf should sue all those ministers who commented as well 🙂 Waytha dares the media to publish proof of the unruly behavior of Hindraf supporters who attended the Hari Raya open house at PWTC. So, far photos in Malaysiakini and those received via email paint a different story compared to the yarn spun by Utusan.
Waytha says:
So visiting the PM on a Hari Raya (Eid) is a grave sin committed by HINDRAF. An act of betrayal and insult to the Islamic religion. the masterminds should be arrested under the ISA or prosecuted under the existing Laws – so say the Malay extremist and fundamentalists organisations. Cabinet Ministers claim HINDRAF was extreme in barging into the PM’s open house and presenting a memorandum. Their seditious criticisms. were carried out by the none other than the UMNO controlled daily Utusan and TV3.
So it was a grave sin. I challenge these fools to obtain evidence from over 30 odd TV crews and pressmen (both local and International media) and the numerous Police Special Branch units who covered , recorded and filmed the entire episode to make public their recordings so that the whole world could see the foolishness and low mentality of Malaysian politicians and their UMNO coolies who stir up racial sentiments for their own political survival.
There is no doubt that whenever there are serious problems within UMNO, the best solution (idiotic though) is to stir racial tension among races. UMNO creates problems and misleads the public with the strength and might of their media.
Let us see the pictures below which our supporters recorded.
It is for you to judge whether HINDRAF presence at PM’S OPEN HOUSE IS as an INSULT TO ISLAM ?
This card is interpreted by the Cabinet Ministers as memorandum. I wonder if they know what they are talking about. The simplest greeting card prepared by a 6 year old with the help of adult to express the feeling of HINDRAF supporters to the PM-And this is interpreted as an insult to the Islamic faith???
Salam Aidilfitri
Semoga di hari mulia ini YAB akan diberkati rahmat Tuhan dan membebaskan semua tahanan ISA dan mendengar rintihan masyarakat India di bumi tercinta Malaysia. Maaf Zahir batin.P.Waythamoorthy
Hindraf Chairman
Currently in London
Note: The images are in this PDF file (3MB).
Now, there’s a possibility of Utusan getting a RM1 million lawsuit soon. Malaysiakini reports that the issue is being discussed by HINDRAF lawyers. National coordinator RS Thanenthiran said that HINDRAF was very disturbed by the Utusan reports which he claims were tainted by lies and distorted facts.
A commentary in Utusan by Baharom Mahusin deserves a police investigation or even detention under ISA due its contents. I guess the writer may need police protection.
Hindraf was particularly offended by Baharom’s comment which stated that ‘ Kalau penyokong Hindraf melakukan penghinaan seumpama itu di kawasan-kawasan pendalaman yang menjadi kampung halaman orang Melayu, mereka sudah pun diajar tentang makna dan akibat berperangai kurang ajar.’ (If Hindraf supporters pour such insults in the interior areas dominated by Malays, they would have been taught a lesson on the meaning and consequence of misbehaviour.)
Thanenthiran asked, “What is the writer trying to instigate here?
‘Communal conflict? Racial hatred?”.“Baharom’s comment was most unprofessional and unethical”, Thanenthiran told a press conference in Butterworth.
HINDRAF also chastised and ridiculed the Home Minister and others who did not understand the difference between Hari Raya card and a memorandum.
Charles Hector raised a similar question to mine in his blog – Why no coverage of the Free RPK group nor a warning to them in Utusan and NST? Is it discrimination? He also wrote few more important points.
Utusan, meanwhile, continuous with its tirade. The protection and freedom given to this paper is unprecedented. If this was some other paper, it would have closed shop ages ago. On Saturday, Utusan says “Hindraf diberi amaran” (HINDRAF warned) which reported on Home Minister hinting that the illegal organization (no other paper uses the word “illegal”) HINDRAF faces police investigation over the Raya visit. The article in Utusan is really an insulting peice of work. I won’t bother reproducing it here lest people start to burn Utusan paper in public or throw cocktails (Is it the trend nowadays?). I guess even ISA may be used against the key persons. Among the names being bandied about was Shanti, Waytha’s wife and Thanenthiran, the National Coordinator. I guess even the 6 year old daughter may be detained as potential future threat! Other articles in Utusan with similar hateful words are here and here. Take a deep breath before reading them.
Meanwhile Samy says he will continue to fight for the release of Hindraf 5 even with the “problem” given by HINDRAF.
He said he was taking “other action” besides appealing to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar and the BN supreme council that the Hindraf leaders be set free from their detention under the Internal Security Act.
Samy Vellu however declined to give details. He said he was only trying to help the family of the detained men.
He said their wives were happy and hopeful since he began to work for their release. “MIC is going all out until we get them released. We are getting help from others to get them out. When they are released, I don’t need anything from them. I’m not doing this for popularity, I’m doing it for the community.”
He also said that MIC won’t pressure the Home Minister or place any conditions. He said he will meet Syed Hamid next week to discuss further.
According to Samy Vellu, the MIC’s effort is in line with its objectives to defend and protect the rights of the Indian community in this country.
“The MIC also wants to pursue this on humanitarian grounds as the families of those involved are suffering and need assistance,” he said.
He added that it was mischevious to suggest the party’s effort was to gain publicity or become popular.
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