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Dravidian foes unite against Malaysia

Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi’s letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure protection of Malaysian Tamils.

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Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa, Vaiko condemn police action on Tamils in Kuala Lumpur

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi’s letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday to ensure protection of Malaysian Tamils might have come a day too late after police used tear gas and water canons to disperse thousands of Tamils who took to Kuala Lumpur streets on Sunday protesting discrimination. But then, there was none to criticise the delay, as his critics – AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa and MDMK leader Vaiko – were busy preparing their own delayed reactions.

Even as there were murmurs from pro-Hindu quarters over the silence of Karunanidhi, who went to the extent of writing an elegy to LTTE leader the late SP Tamilselvan – over the Malaysian incident, the chief minister said he was “very much pained” and the people of Tamil Nadu were “disturbed” by the happenings in Kuala Lumpur. He demanded that the Centre take immediate steps to end the suffering of Malaysian Tamils.

While Vaiko followed suit the same day, with more details of the history and demography of ethnic Indians in Malaysia, Jayalalithaa had no option but to use “stronger” words in her condemnation on Wednesday. “Barbaric”, she said of the police action. “Tamils fighting for their rights were baton-charged,” she said, adding, “Not providing treatment to the injured is a crime under Commonwealth rules.”

All three leaders were unanimous in their demand that the Centre take immediate steps to ensure the release of the 240 persons arrested during the protests and to ensure equal opportunities for ethnic Tamils in Malaysia. “The protesters were carrying pictures of Mahatma Gandhi,”  both Karunanidhi and Vaiko noted. “Ethnic Indians have contributed to the economic welfare of Malaysia, which continues to treat them as third-class citizens,” Jayalalithaa and Vaiko shared their concern.

Demanding equal rights, people of Indian origin led by the Malaysia-based Hindu Rights Action Force had taken out a rally which the police dispersed using water canons and tear gas.

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