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Malaysian Indians ponder migration after protest

An unusually large number of Malaysian Indians have inquired about migrating to Australia after a big protest against racial discrimination.

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KUALA LUMPUR: An unusually large number of Malaysian Indians have inquired about migrating to Australia after a big protest against racial discrimination at the weekend, a private immigration agency said on Friday.   

On Sunday, more than 10,000 ethnic Indians staged the community's biggest anti-government protest, sparked by anger over policies they say prevent them from getting decent jobs or a good education for their children.   

"This week the phone has not stopped ringing," said Louis Lovestrand, director at Global Migration Solutions Sdn Bhd, a firm specialising in Australian migration and visas. "There''s been an unusual rush."  

"Normally, our clientele is about 15 percent Indian. But this week enquiries and applications from local Indians have tripled," he said in a statement.   

The Australian embassy in Kuala Lumpur said it could not comment on any ongoing migration application. Multi-racial Malaysia has denied claims it mistreated ethnic Indians, saying that they were better off than those in India. Ethnic Indians form 7 percent of Malaysia's 26 million people.    Lovestrand said most of the enquiries came from lawyers, doctors and IT professionals.   

Each applicant has to fork out about 15,000 ringgit ($4,467) per family. It takes about nine to 11 months to be approved. Malaysia is the ninth-largest source of migrants for Australia, sending around 3,000 families a year, the firm said.  

 

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