Wednesday, February 23, 2011

HINDRAF to lead PEOPLE’S NEO DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION AGAINST MALAYSIAN AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENT on FEBRUARY 27, 2011.

 I write as the Chair of HINDRAF, an NGO, that took the people to the street on November 25, 2007 to fight for their rights and liberty that eventually was instrumental  for   the Malaysian authoritarian Government  to lose several states to the opposition in the elections on March 8th 2008 see link   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HINDRAF

Recently the Malaysian government against the interest of public had included  a  novel  “Interlok” that contains racial slurs against the Ethnic Indians and Chinese  as a compulsory literature for 16 years old school goers. See http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/155901

HINDRAF has protested vehemently against the introduction of this book as a school text and many of its leaders were arrested for conducting an awareness campaign against racism being taught in school. See link  http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/21006/police-clamp-down-on-hrp-convoys-scores-arrested.html, http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/21009/hindraf-klang-valley-anti-interlok-convoy-activists-arrested.html,http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/21007/say-no-to-interlok---hindraf.html

We are organizing a nation wide rally on February 27, 2011 at 9am in from the the Petronas Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to fight racism implanted and sowed by the authoritarian UMNO led Malaysian government to enhance race segregation and racism in the educational curriculum. See attached http://www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com/2011/02/15/hindraf-to-organize-people%e2%80%99s-march-for-solidarity-against-umnobn-racism%e2%80%9d-on-2722011-at-klcc/

The People need to rise and revolt without  fear or favor against facist governments and such esteemed media such as you need to provide the coverage to enhance the battle for rights and liberty of the human kind.

Thank you.


Yours faithfully


P. Waytha Moorthy
Chair- HINDRAF
Tel No: +44 750 228 9313 

Interlok Forum - 8 Activist Arrested





HRP submits memorandum to United Nations

Hindraf invites UN to monitor Feb 27 rally

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has requested for observers from the United Nations (UN) to monitor its 'People's March in Solidarity Against Umno's Racism' this Sunday.
The march will start from the KLCC at 9am, and end at the Dang Wangi Police station.
The demonstration is to protest against Interlok, the controversial novel that Form Five students use as a compulsory literature text.
NONEHindraf national information coordinator, S Jayathas (third from left), said that it would only be fair if the UN were to to witness how the protestors were being handled by the police.
He was speaking at the UN office in Kuala Lumpur.
"The UN will see that we are running a peaceful demonstration."

Jayathas added that the police have yet to reply regarding their application for a police permit submitted on Feb 11.

Asked to comment on Ibrahim Ali Perkasa president lodging a police report against Hindraf today, he replied:
"Perkasa is under the Umno. If they were to report to the police, everyone pays attention and action is taken. If they were to run a demo, nothing happens, no one is arrested.
"When we make a police report, the response is slow. When others - like us - demonstrate, we get arrested.

On Feb 13, the police detained 59 people nationwide who were travelling in Hindraf organised convoys. There have been with allegations of rough treatment by the police.
Request for UN to intervene
Jayathas has also submitted a letter urging the UN to intervene in the 'Interlok' issue.
It was received by Devendran Patel, United Nation's Security Advisor for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
He explained that the book was not appropriate for use in school as it portrayed Indians negatively.
The novel, by national laureate Abdullah Hussein, became a controversial issue following the ministry's decision to use the novel as a literature textbook, with several parties claiming that it contains words deemed demeaning to the Indian community.
Education Minister MuhyiddinYassin had announced on Jan 27 that the novel will remain as the textbook for the literature component of the Bahasa Malaysia subject for Form Five, but with amendments to those parts deemed offensive by the Indian community.
Jayathas said he wants Unesco to intervene in this issue as it degrades the Indian and Chinese community.
"The book has nothing but racial slurs and it stereotypes the two races," he said, adding that the novel would only divide the peaceful Malaysian nation.
Jayathas added the anti-Interlok forum is still on schedule.

"Tonight we will run the forum at the Mahamariamman Temple at Ladang Bukit Jalil near Puchong and the last day of forum is at the KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall tomorrow.

HINDRAF-Urgent appeal to International Governments, UN & Orgs on possible UMNO sponsored Violence on 27/2/11

21st February 2011.



Dear Sir/Madam,

Re: Urgent Request to make Representations to the Government of Malaysia on the Crackdown and possible violence by UMNO sponsored underworld “3 Line”, Pekida and Extremist Perkasa on Human Rights Advocates organising Solidarity March against UMNO racism in Malaysia on 27th February 2011.


I write to you with the utmost urgency for your attention on the above matter.

HINDRAF is a Human Rights organisation that advocates the rights of the marginalized Indian community in Malaysia. Although the Government of Malaysia has banned this movement without well-founded reasons, it has continued to organise various activities affecting human rights issues nationwide and as of late 2007, the movement has been operating from London.

Recently, the Malaysian government took a decision to approve the use of a novel entitled “Interlok” as part of compulsory curriculum material for 5th Form pupils in selected areas in Malaysia but the ethnic Indian community and HINDRAF take exception to the use of the novel because it contains racially insensitive, degrading, humiliating, and disrespectful use of adjectives that is extreme racist nature and on behalf of the Indian community HINDRAF has called for a total ban of the novel. The government has chosen to ignore our compliant but insist that the material will go into circulation once amendments to the material are passed sometime next month.

In response to the recalcitrant attitude of the government, HINDRAF passed a motion to stage a Solidarity March against Racism on 27th February 2011 and in furtherance to the said event, we also organised various road shows, forums, car drive campaigns and such like at national level. We have managed to amass a total of more than 200 Hindraf Human Rights campaigners to carry out grassroots campaigns including distribution of posters and fliers regarding our intention.

However since 10th February 2011, the Government began a crackdown on HINDRAF Human Rights campaigners using harassment, threat of violence, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, inhumane and degrading treatment including the demand that female activists remove their Orange Hindraf T-Shirts in public.

On 13th March 2011, a total of 59 Hindraf leaders and volunteers were arrested nationwide for taking part in an Anti Racism (car drive campaign). Police subjected one volunteer to inhumane ill treatment by placing him in a dark room for almost 19 out of 26 hours he was under arrest and detention. More than 120 other volunteers were prevented from continuing their campaigns nationwide.

The Police harassment continued from 13th February with:

a) Intimidation used against venue owners for allowing us to use their halls to conduct our forums;
b) Threatening venue owners with arbitrary arrest;
c) Threatening HINDRAF volunteers with arrests if they were to continue with forum discussions nationwide;
d) Placing HINDRAF volunteers under surveillance and making unannounced visits to their work places to intimidate and put pressure on employers to terminate HINDRAF volunteers from their jobs;
e) Road blocks at strategic points leading to venues of our nationwide forums thus preventing these forums from taking place.
f) Using the Police Federal Reserve Units (PFRU) in full riot gear to carry out a “baton charge” at a function Hall in Penang thus endangering the safety and security of vulnerable individuals such as the elderly, women and children at the anti racism forums.
g) Further arrests of 16 Hindraf leaders and volunteers also took place on 20th February 2011.

The Government of Malaysia is fearful that our road shows and ground campaigns over the last 3 weeks is likely to draw a large crowd for the Solidarity March on 27th February and is thus threatening us with the possible arrests under the draconian Internal security Act which may be a repeat of similar arrests which took place in 2007.

Despite the threats from the Government, we are undeterred as we are committed in our pursuit to continue with our peaceful Solidarity March scheduled on 27th February 2011. We have made an application for a Police permit; although we do not require one under the Federal Constitution, which guarantees Freedom of speech and assembly. We however anticipate that it is very unlikely that the Police would approve our requests for Police permits.

The March on 27th February 2011 would begin at KLCC and terminate at the Jalan Dang Wangi Police Station where more than 1000 people would lodge reports against the current Government which has been ruling for 54 years and its Primer Minister for practising Institutionalised racism in Malaysia.

We write to urge you to make an urgent representation to the Government of Malaysia to respect the citizens’ universal standards of Human rights, as well as the right to assemble and express feelings of discontentment and allow us to proceed with the March peacefully.

We fear the UMNO led Government would engage its agent provocateurs namely, the notorious 3 LINE and Pekida underworld gangs and its outsourced far right extremist wing such as the Perkasa to cause trouble on the said day.

We attach herewith our letters to the Inspector General of Police seeking his protection and co-operation (which thus far has been ignored) and a copy of the Memorandum of Complaint to the Human Rights Commission Malaysia, which is self-explanatory.

Your kind indulgence and urgent action is very much appreciated.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully


P.Waytha Moorthy
Chair
HINDRAF
+447502289313 (Mobile)

William J.Burns
The Under Secretary for Political Affairs
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Rt.Hon. William Hague MP
Foreign Secretary
Foreign & Commonwealth Office,
King Charles Street,
London.
SW1A 2AH

Ms Heidi Hautala
Chair of the Human Rights Sub Committee
European Parliament
Rue Wiertz
Wiertzstraat
B-1047 Brussels

Richard Ottaway MP
House of Commons
Foreign Affairs Committee
4 Millbank
City of London SW1P 3JA


Ms Navanethem Pillay
High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais Wilson
52 rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland
+41 22 917 9656
civilsociety@ohchr.org

Mr. Githu Muigai
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 917 9006
Email: racism@ohchr.org

Mrs. Margaret Sekaggya
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 917 9006
Email: urgent-action@ohchr.org

Gay McDougall
Independent Expert on Minority Issues
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: + 41 22 917 9006

Mr. Frank La Rue
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 917 9006
Email: freedex@ohchr.org


Gabriella Habtom
Human Rights Officer and Secretary of the Committee
on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Human Rights Treaties Division
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Tel. +41.22.917.9193 - Fax +41.22.917.90.08
e-mail: ghabtom@ohchr.org / tb-petitions@ohchr.org
Palais Wilson - 52, rue des Pâquis, CH-1201,
Geneva, Switzerland

Frank William La Rue
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
UNOG-OHCHR
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 917 93 32
Fax: +41 22 917 90 22

Amnesty International
1 Easton Street
London
WC1X 0DW, UK
Telephone: +44-20-74135500
Fax number: +44-20-79561157
Email: activism@amnesty.org.uk

Human Rights Watch
Address: 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Tel: +1-212-290-4700
Fax: +1-212-736-1300
email: spiegem@hrw.org

Minority Rights Group International
54 Commercial Street
London E1 6LT, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7422 4200
Fax: +44 (0)20 7422 4201
Email: minority.rights@mrgmail.org

Front Line –
The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Head Office, Second Floor, Grattan House
Temple Road, Blackrock
Co Dublin, Ireland
Tel: +353 (0)1 212 3750
Fax: +353 (0)1 212 1001
E-mail: info@frontlinedefenders.org

OSCE Secretariat
Wallnerstrasse 6
1010 Vienna
Austria
Tel: +43 1 514 36 6000
Fax: +43 1 514 36 6996
E-mail: info@osce.org

NAACP
Washington Bureau
1156 15th Street, NW Suite 915
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 463-2940
Fax: (202) 463-2953
Email: washingtonbureau@naacpnet.org

European Union External Action Service
Menara Tan & Tan, Suite 10.01
207 Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel.: +6 03 2723 7373
Fax: +6 03 2723 7337
E-mail: delegation-malaysia@ec.europa.eu

US Embassy Malaysia
Mr Brian D. McFeeters - Political Counselor
376 Jalan Tun Razak
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel No: (03) 2168-4946,
Fax No : (03) 2168-5165,
Email : mcfeetersbd@state.gov


Rainbow Push Coalition
National Headquarters
930 East 50th Street
Chicago, IL 60615
Phone: 773-373-3366
Fax: 773-373-3571
Email : info@rainbowpush.org

National Action Network
House of Justice
106 West, 145th Street,
Harlem ,NY 10039
Tel No: (212) 690 3070
Fax No ( 877)- 626 4651
Email : rachel@noerdlingermedia.com

Interlok: Hindraf delegation mets U.N. Devendra Patel today. Letter to UNESCO, Paris.

IMG_5215
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 New Scan-20110222161703-00001

Tuduhan Hindraf: Perkasa buat laporan polis

Ibrahim Ali menyangkal tuduhan yang Umno, Pekida dan Perkasa akan mengacau perhimpunan anjuran Hindraf Ahad ini.


KUALA LUMPUR: Satu laporan polis dibuat terhadap Hindraf kerana mendakwa Umno, Pekida, dan Perkasa akan mengacau satu perarakan aman yang akan dianjurkan pertubuhan tersebut Ahad ini.

Laporan polis itu dibuat oleh Presiden Perkasa Datuk Ibrahim Ali di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Dang Wangi di sini hari ini.

Ibrahim berkata, Perkasa semalam menerima satu salinan surat (melalui e-mel) yang ditulis Pengerusi Hindraf P Waytha Moorthy memfitnah Perkasa dan Pekida sebagai alat Umno untuk menimbulkan huru-hara pada perhimpunan itu nanti.

Bertajuk “Rayuan kepada kerajaan antarabangsa, Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB), dan beberapa NGO terhadap kemungkinan Umno disebalik keganasan”, Waytha Moorthy menghantar surat itu kepada 21 penerima, antaranya Setiausaha Hal Ehwal Semasa Politik Amerika Syarikat, Setiausaha Pejabat Komanwel dan Negara Luar di London, dan beberapa pertubuhan hak asasi antarabangsa.

Waytha Moorthy dalam suratnya menyatakan kebimbangan beliau yang Umno akan bekerjasama dengan Perkasa dan Pekida untuk menyebabkan huru-hara pada hari tersebut.

Berikutan itu, beliau berkata Hindraf juga telah menulis surat kepada Ketua Polis Negara meminta perlindungan dan kerjasama, selain aduan kepada Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Malaysia (Suhakam).

Namun, Ibrahim dalam laporan polisnya menafikan dakwaan surat tersebut dan menegaskan Perkasa sama sekali tidak akan terlibat dalam mana-mana penganjuran perhimpunan haram.



“Selaku Ahli Parlimen Pasir Mas serta Presiden Perkasa, saya akan menghantar surat maklum balas menjawab tuduhan Waytha Moorthy kepada kesemua 21 orang diperingkat antarabangsa supaya dapat membersihkan nama baik kerajaan, rakyat Malaysia, Perkasa dan Pekida.

“Kebetulan juga 24 Februari ini saya akan bertemu dengan salah seorang pegawai tertinggi Kedutaan Amerika dan saya akan memberikan penjelasan bahawa gambaran yang diberikan pihak terbabit tidak benar,” katanya kepada pemberita.

Hindraf dijangka mengadakan satu perhimpunan aman bermula di Pusat Konvensyen Kuala Lumpur (KLCC) dan berakhir di IPD Dang Wangi dimana 1,000 tandatangan pengadu dikumpul bagi membuat laporan polis terhadap kerajaan dan Perdana Menteri yang dituduh masih mengamalkan perkauman.

Ibrahim berkata dakwaan itu hanya sebagai alasan untuk Hindraf merancang satu suasana tegang sehingga mencetuskan huru-hara seperti yang berlaku di Tunisia dan Libya sekarang.

“Dalam demonstrasi jalanan, apa pun boleh berlaku. Jika ada yang cedera, mereka akan salahkan polis,” katanya.

Sehubungan itu, Ibrahim dalam laporan polisnya turut menggesa polis bertindak tegas terhadap Hindraf yang digelarkannya sebagai pertubuhan haram dan amat merbahaya.

Najib’s bid to strike out RM200m suit by Hindraf leaders to be heard on March 24

(Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 — The High Court will hear on March 24, an application by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and five others to strike out a RM200 million suit filed by former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees M. Manoharan and P. Uthayakumar.

The application will be heard before High Court Judicial Commissioner Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal.

Harmindar set the date in chambers, upon meeting Manoharan who was representing himself and Uthayakumar, and Senior Federal Counsel Diar Isda Yazmin Ismail appearing for the defendants.

Speaking to reporters, Manoharan said Harmindar would hear the matter as another judicial commissioner, Dr Prasad Sandosham Abraham, who was initially scheduled to hear the case, had recused himself from hearing the matter on the grounds that he was Najib’s classmate.

Manoharan also said that the court had ordered the parties to file written submissions before the striking out the hearing.

In the striking-out application, Najib and the five other defendants said the suit filed by Manoharan and Uthayakumar on Dec 9, last year was frivolous, vexatious and an abuse of the court process.

In the suit, Manoharan and Uthayakumar named Najib, former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, the Taiping detention centre superintendent and the Government as defendants.

They are seeking RM100 million each in damages, an annual interest of eight per cent be awarded on grounds that they had been wrongfully detained for 514 days from Dec 13, 2007 to May 9, 2009. — Bernama

Tian Chua: Batu estate workers marginalised