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Editorial The Malaysians of Indian origin are crying for help Indian government cannot look the other way Malaysia is rocked by protests of the ethnic Indian community for the last several months. The people of Indian origin who constitute the second-largest minority in Malaysia are desperately trying to get their voice heard. Few months ago they had approached the UN protesting serious human rights violations. They demanded the intervention of the international body against the systematic ethnic cleansing and genocide by the Islamic regime in the country. Thousands of Hindu temples were demolished in Malaysia under various pretexts ranging from development, expansion of roads, construction of residential colonies and alleged encroachments. These temples were hundreds of years old and they are visited by thousands of devotees every month. The latest to be demolished was Sri Mahamariamman Temple at Shah Alam, Salangor in Malaysia. This was done during the festival season of Navaratra and Deepavali, celebrated all over the country by Indians. There are over two million Indians in Malaysia. They accuse the government of racial discrimination, which denies them job and educational opportunities, discrimination in issuing licences for business, wanton destruction of their places of worship. Anger of the Indian community spilled into the streets of Kuala Lumpur on November 25 when over 20,000 protesters defying restrictions, bullets, lathi and tear gas clashed with the police. This was the first occasion when the minority Indians overcame the fear of the tyrannical Islamic regime. Ethnic Indians from around the country swarmed the capital city for the rally despite a virtual lockdown over the previous three days and warnings from police and the government that people should not participate. The sheer size of the protest, called by Hindu rights group, stunned the authorities. The elections are only a few months away in the country. Organiser was the first in India to come out with a detailed report on the demolitions of thousands of temples in Malaysia that traumatized the people of Indian origin (March 18, 2007). They had approached the UN for help. We had reported, for the Hindus in Malaysia life has become a hell. The government there is systematically demolishing temples. In the last twenty months the situation has become so intolerable that they have appealed to the UN for help. According to a conservative estimate over 10,000 temples have been demolished since 1985. Hindus from 15 per cent of the population. But they do not have any power or share in the national affairs. This is saddening. The Indian government has a duty to protect and safeguard the welfare of the people of Indian origin. At least an official communication of protest was in order. But the UPA government is yet to take up the matter with Malaysia, though India has the best diplomatic ties with that country. An ally of the UPA, the DMK has expressed its concern over the plight of the Tamil Malaysians and demanded the centre?s intervention in the matter. In fact the exodus of Tamils from Malaysia has united the parties across the spectrum in Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK leader J. Jayalalithaa and MDMK leader Vaiko have also asked the centre to take up the matter with Malaysian government. Hindu Rights Action Force, an apex body of 30 organisations, has approached all political parties pleading for support. The BJP leader Rajnath Singh has called upon the Prime Minister to immediately convey India?s displeasure and put pressure on Malaysian authorities to stop the genocide. The agony of Indian origin people in any part of the world is a matter of worry for the people here. Thousands of Indian families still have relatives and the ethnic cleansing will ultimately lead to influx of refugees from that country to India. India cannot afford to remain a silent spectator to this modern-day holocaust. India has to act immediately and decisively before it is too late.

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