12-03-2007, 07:04 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-03-2007, 07:15 PM by Bharatvarsh.)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Malaysian Indians look at LTTE
Venkatesan Vembu
Thursday, November 29, 2007Â 05:38 IST
HONG KONG: Angry ethnic Indians who marched in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to protest race-based discrimination in Malaysia carried portraits of Mahatma Gandhi as a symbol of their non-violent struggle.
âBut if their genuine grievances continue to be ignored, (Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers leader) Velupillai Prabakaran could soon replace Gandhi as their inspiration,â warns P. Ramasamy, former professor of history at University Kebangsaan Malaysia.
In an interview to DNA from Singapore, Ramasamy, who was appointed by the LTTE to its Constitutional Affairs Committee in 2003, connected the dots that link the Tamil diaspora in Malaysia (which accounts for most of the Indian population there) to the Tamil Eelam movement in Sri Lanka.
The chilling picture that emerges is one that holds serious foreign policy implications for India, quite similar to what it faced in Sri Lanka in the early 1980s.
âThere is a very real risk of radical groups taking over the movement if the Malay government persists with its racially discriminatory policies,â says Ramasamy, whose services at the University were terminated for criticiing governmentâs policies.
âToday, the ethnic Indian movement may be a loose formulation, and their ideas may not seem well-formulated. But if thereâs a police crackdown, there will be retaliation.â The governmentâs stated intention of invoking the Internal Security Act against demonstrators could trigger such a confrontation.
Malaysian journalist Baradan Kuppusamy, who has been an up-close observer of events concerning the Indian community, too senses an increasing inclination to resort to militancy as a last resort.
âThey have been knocking their heads on the wall for so long, that some form of radicalisation has already happened.â Militant views are not yet being publicly articulated, âbut they are frequently voiced in private gatherings,â he notes.
It is in this context that the Tamil diasporaâs solidarity with the LTTE assumes significance. Ramasamy notes that Tamils in Malaysia are active contributors to the Tamil Eelam cause.
âIndians in Malaysia are very sympathetic to Prabakaran, and Tamil newspapers valorise Prabakaran,â adds Kuppusamy.
So is there a real risk of an LTTE-like movement getting underway in Malaysia? Says Kuppusamy: âFrom my study of the ethnic Indian movements, I feel that the current leadership â headed by firebrand lawyer Uthayakumar â is among the most radical, willing to take big risks, and court arrest.â
But from there to an open call to arms is a long way off, and Kuppusamy believes this leadership is incapable of making that leap. âBut there could be a splinter group in the years ahead, which could be far more radical, so, yes, the possibility does exist,â he says.
For the Indian foreign policy establishment, which is still grappling with the Sri Lanka-sized problem, the prospect of Malaysia going down the same road can only be a nightmarish proposition.
http://newshopper.sulekha.com/news/2007/11...ook-at-ltte.htm<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I hope they do and the Malay thugs get it.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Malay Tamils may be driven to LTTE
By R. Bhagwan Singh
Saturday December 1, 01:22 AM
Chennai, Nov. 30: The Tamils of Malaysia, complaining of prolonged oppression by the government, may turn to the LTTE for support and take up arms unless international pressure, particularly from India, compels the Badawi regime to change its attitude, some moderates among them have said, pointing out that several Malaysian Tamils support the LTTE and contribute to the Tigers' war machine in Sri Lanka.
In the massive rally of the Malaysian Indians in Kuala Lumpur on November 25, several protesters were seen carrying portraits of Mahatma Gandhi to show their faith in non-violence. One of the leaders of that rally called by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), P. Waytha Moorthy, had declared that Gandhi was his role model and even went on satyagraha when arrested. The police used force to disperse the protesters, which drew all-round condemnation, including from Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi, who wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking India's intervention.
In an appeal to the Queen of England and the heads of the Commonwealth, Hindraf on November 25 said it had written "thousands of letters" to the Malaysian authorities pleading for equal opportunities for people of Indian origin, 95 per cent of them Tamils, but there was no response. "Our worst fears are we do not want these Tamils to be forced into terrorism like what is happening in Sri Lanka," said the Hindraff letter.
Former professor of University Kebangsaan Malaysia, P. Ramasamy, has also warned that the Malaysian Indians may turn to the LTTE if their grievances were not addressed. If their oppression and marginalisation continued, Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran could soon replace Gandhi as their inspiration, said the university teacher, sacked for criticising the government.
"Over 100,000 people gathered for that Sunday rally to give our petition to the British high commission despite the government blocking all entries to Kuala Lumpur and the police unleashing unprecedented repression to defeat our march. Hundreds of these protesters carried Gandhi portraits, which they bought from the shops even without being told to. It was a spontaneous gesture to demonstrate we are peaceful," recalled Mr Waytha Moorthy, speaking to this newspaper at his hotel in Chennai. He fled Malaysia a couple of days ago as the police allegedly prepared to arrest him under the draconian Internal Security Act, which meant jail without trial and bail.
Asked to comment on Mr Ramasamy's forecast that the Malaysian Tamils could turn to Prabhakaran for inspiration, Mr Moorthy said: "I cannot say what will happen. Eventually, such a development may take place. But we are for peaceful resolution of our problem now."
Expressing happiness at the strong expression of solidarity from parliamentarians and other political leaders in India, "particularly your chief minister Karunanidhi", the Hindraff leader said, "We wish that the Indian Prime Minister writes to his Malaysian counterpart seeking justice for us. India must take our issue to international forums, including the United Nations."
Tracing the misery of his people, Mr Moorthy said their ancestors were brought as cheap labour to work on Malaysian plantations by the British rulers and exploited for over 150 years. When Malaysia got its freedom about 50 years ago, Queen Elizabeth II appointed a commission headed by Lord William Reid, a distinguished lord of appeal, and comprising Constitution experts from fellow Commonwealth countries to draft a Constitution for the country. Article 153 of the Reid Constitution provided special privileges in education, jobs, businesses, and even government contracts, for the Malay Muslims, who were poor and backward at that time. The first two Prime Ministers had even promised that those privileges would be in vogue for a mere 15 years, but to this day "this form of cruel discrimination, this apartheid of sorts, continues," said Mr Moorthy, who is a barrister. After scrutinising the Reid records in the Public Records Office in London this June (the papers are still classified secret in Malaysia), the Hindraff chief found out that even at that time people of Indian origin had "pleaded with the British not to leave them unprotected in the hands of the Malay Muslims".
Mr Moorthy recalled that the Malaysian Indians at that time believed the promise made by the rulers that they would get their citizenship, and after that there would be no scope for discrimination as another constitutional provision guaranteed equality for all. "This was never implemented and Art. 153 swallowed us all," he said. Accusing the British government of bringing the Indians as cheap labour - "My grandfather was brought when he was barely seven years old" - and then dumping them at the mercy of the "apartheid" Malay rulers, he filed a lawsuit in London on August 30, 2007 seeking $4 trillion as compensation at the rate of $1 million for each of them. He also petitioned the Queen to appoint her counsel to defend his case in the courts. When he returned to Malaysia he became a hero for the Malaysian Indians while the government frowned.
He recalled that he had, along with four other lawyers, including his brother Uthayakumar, formed the Hindraff in 2005 "to protect the rights of the Hindus and minorities" as the government had "launched a campaign to Islamise the country entirely by demolishing Hindu temples". He alleged that over 10,000 temples were broken down, mostly on the grounds that they were built without approval on state land. "These temples were built inside jungles cleared for plantations by the Indians some 150 years ago and there were no offices sanctioning permits at that time," he argued.
Mr Moorthy said he hoped to meet "as many Indian leaders as possible" to plead the cause of the Malaysian Indians before leaving for the UK, Geneva and New York "to campaign for our basic human rights". Indians form eight per cent of Malaysia's population of 27 million. Over 75 per cent of the Malaysian Indians are Hindus.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/071130/251/6nx7b.html<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Venkatesan Vembu
Thursday, November 29, 2007Â 05:38 IST
HONG KONG: Angry ethnic Indians who marched in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to protest race-based discrimination in Malaysia carried portraits of Mahatma Gandhi as a symbol of their non-violent struggle.
âBut if their genuine grievances continue to be ignored, (Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers leader) Velupillai Prabakaran could soon replace Gandhi as their inspiration,â warns P. Ramasamy, former professor of history at University Kebangsaan Malaysia.
In an interview to DNA from Singapore, Ramasamy, who was appointed by the LTTE to its Constitutional Affairs Committee in 2003, connected the dots that link the Tamil diaspora in Malaysia (which accounts for most of the Indian population there) to the Tamil Eelam movement in Sri Lanka.
The chilling picture that emerges is one that holds serious foreign policy implications for India, quite similar to what it faced in Sri Lanka in the early 1980s.
âThere is a very real risk of radical groups taking over the movement if the Malay government persists with its racially discriminatory policies,â says Ramasamy, whose services at the University were terminated for criticiing governmentâs policies.
âToday, the ethnic Indian movement may be a loose formulation, and their ideas may not seem well-formulated. But if thereâs a police crackdown, there will be retaliation.â The governmentâs stated intention of invoking the Internal Security Act against demonstrators could trigger such a confrontation.
Malaysian journalist Baradan Kuppusamy, who has been an up-close observer of events concerning the Indian community, too senses an increasing inclination to resort to militancy as a last resort.
âThey have been knocking their heads on the wall for so long, that some form of radicalisation has already happened.â Militant views are not yet being publicly articulated, âbut they are frequently voiced in private gatherings,â he notes.
It is in this context that the Tamil diasporaâs solidarity with the LTTE assumes significance. Ramasamy notes that Tamils in Malaysia are active contributors to the Tamil Eelam cause.
âIndians in Malaysia are very sympathetic to Prabakaran, and Tamil newspapers valorise Prabakaran,â adds Kuppusamy.
So is there a real risk of an LTTE-like movement getting underway in Malaysia? Says Kuppusamy: âFrom my study of the ethnic Indian movements, I feel that the current leadership â headed by firebrand lawyer Uthayakumar â is among the most radical, willing to take big risks, and court arrest.â
But from there to an open call to arms is a long way off, and Kuppusamy believes this leadership is incapable of making that leap. âBut there could be a splinter group in the years ahead, which could be far more radical, so, yes, the possibility does exist,â he says.
For the Indian foreign policy establishment, which is still grappling with the Sri Lanka-sized problem, the prospect of Malaysia going down the same road can only be a nightmarish proposition.
http://newshopper.sulekha.com/news/2007/11...ook-at-ltte.htm<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I hope they do and the Malay thugs get it.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Malay Tamils may be driven to LTTE
By R. Bhagwan Singh
Saturday December 1, 01:22 AM
Chennai, Nov. 30: The Tamils of Malaysia, complaining of prolonged oppression by the government, may turn to the LTTE for support and take up arms unless international pressure, particularly from India, compels the Badawi regime to change its attitude, some moderates among them have said, pointing out that several Malaysian Tamils support the LTTE and contribute to the Tigers' war machine in Sri Lanka.
In the massive rally of the Malaysian Indians in Kuala Lumpur on November 25, several protesters were seen carrying portraits of Mahatma Gandhi to show their faith in non-violence. One of the leaders of that rally called by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), P. Waytha Moorthy, had declared that Gandhi was his role model and even went on satyagraha when arrested. The police used force to disperse the protesters, which drew all-round condemnation, including from Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi, who wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking India's intervention.
In an appeal to the Queen of England and the heads of the Commonwealth, Hindraf on November 25 said it had written "thousands of letters" to the Malaysian authorities pleading for equal opportunities for people of Indian origin, 95 per cent of them Tamils, but there was no response. "Our worst fears are we do not want these Tamils to be forced into terrorism like what is happening in Sri Lanka," said the Hindraff letter.
Former professor of University Kebangsaan Malaysia, P. Ramasamy, has also warned that the Malaysian Indians may turn to the LTTE if their grievances were not addressed. If their oppression and marginalisation continued, Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran could soon replace Gandhi as their inspiration, said the university teacher, sacked for criticising the government.
"Over 100,000 people gathered for that Sunday rally to give our petition to the British high commission despite the government blocking all entries to Kuala Lumpur and the police unleashing unprecedented repression to defeat our march. Hundreds of these protesters carried Gandhi portraits, which they bought from the shops even without being told to. It was a spontaneous gesture to demonstrate we are peaceful," recalled Mr Waytha Moorthy, speaking to this newspaper at his hotel in Chennai. He fled Malaysia a couple of days ago as the police allegedly prepared to arrest him under the draconian Internal Security Act, which meant jail without trial and bail.
Asked to comment on Mr Ramasamy's forecast that the Malaysian Tamils could turn to Prabhakaran for inspiration, Mr Moorthy said: "I cannot say what will happen. Eventually, such a development may take place. But we are for peaceful resolution of our problem now."
Expressing happiness at the strong expression of solidarity from parliamentarians and other political leaders in India, "particularly your chief minister Karunanidhi", the Hindraff leader said, "We wish that the Indian Prime Minister writes to his Malaysian counterpart seeking justice for us. India must take our issue to international forums, including the United Nations."
Tracing the misery of his people, Mr Moorthy said their ancestors were brought as cheap labour to work on Malaysian plantations by the British rulers and exploited for over 150 years. When Malaysia got its freedom about 50 years ago, Queen Elizabeth II appointed a commission headed by Lord William Reid, a distinguished lord of appeal, and comprising Constitution experts from fellow Commonwealth countries to draft a Constitution for the country. Article 153 of the Reid Constitution provided special privileges in education, jobs, businesses, and even government contracts, for the Malay Muslims, who were poor and backward at that time. The first two Prime Ministers had even promised that those privileges would be in vogue for a mere 15 years, but to this day "this form of cruel discrimination, this apartheid of sorts, continues," said Mr Moorthy, who is a barrister. After scrutinising the Reid records in the Public Records Office in London this June (the papers are still classified secret in Malaysia), the Hindraff chief found out that even at that time people of Indian origin had "pleaded with the British not to leave them unprotected in the hands of the Malay Muslims".
Mr Moorthy recalled that the Malaysian Indians at that time believed the promise made by the rulers that they would get their citizenship, and after that there would be no scope for discrimination as another constitutional provision guaranteed equality for all. "This was never implemented and Art. 153 swallowed us all," he said. Accusing the British government of bringing the Indians as cheap labour - "My grandfather was brought when he was barely seven years old" - and then dumping them at the mercy of the "apartheid" Malay rulers, he filed a lawsuit in London on August 30, 2007 seeking $4 trillion as compensation at the rate of $1 million for each of them. He also petitioned the Queen to appoint her counsel to defend his case in the courts. When he returned to Malaysia he became a hero for the Malaysian Indians while the government frowned.
He recalled that he had, along with four other lawyers, including his brother Uthayakumar, formed the Hindraff in 2005 "to protect the rights of the Hindus and minorities" as the government had "launched a campaign to Islamise the country entirely by demolishing Hindu temples". He alleged that over 10,000 temples were broken down, mostly on the grounds that they were built without approval on state land. "These temples were built inside jungles cleared for plantations by the Indians some 150 years ago and there were no offices sanctioning permits at that time," he argued.
Mr Moorthy said he hoped to meet "as many Indian leaders as possible" to plead the cause of the Malaysian Indians before leaving for the UK, Geneva and New York "to campaign for our basic human rights". Indians form eight per cent of Malaysia's population of 27 million. Over 75 per cent of the Malaysian Indians are Hindus.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/071130/251/6nx7b.html<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->