Twitter
Advertisement

Malaysia raps Karunanidhi for meddling

Malaysia told Karunanidhi on Thursday to mind his own business after the official complained about Malaysia's treatment of its ethnic Indians.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia told Karunanidhi on Thursday to mind his own business after the official complained about Malaysia's treatment of its ethnic Indians.   

Muthuvel Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday to intervene and protect the rights of Tamils.   

He made the request after the minority community's biggest anti-government protest in Malaysia at the weekend, sparked by anger over policies they say prevent ethnic Indians from getting decent jobs or a good education for their children.   

"This is Malaysia, not Tamil Nadu," Malaysia's de-facto justice minister Nazri Aziz said by telephone. "This has got nothing to do with him ... lay off." He said he had not seen a protest letter from Karunanidhi.   

In the letter to Singh, Karunanidhi said he was 'pained' at the way Malaysian police had treated Tamils when they organised a rally to complain of racial discrimination.   

The rally, which drew more than 10,000 people, had triggered sporadic protests in Tamil Nadu, witnesses said.   

Karunanidhi said Tamils were the largest group among Malaysia's 1.8 million ethnic Indians and added that the people of Tamil Nadu were disturbed by the events there. He sought Singh's intervention 'to end the sufferings and bad treatment of Malaysian Tamils'.

Karunanidhi's DMK party is an ally in Singh's federal coalition.   

Multi-racial Malaysia has brushed aside claims that it mistreated its ethnic Indians, saying that they were better off than those in India. But ethnic Indians complain of a lack of educational and business opportunities, saying government affirmative-action policies that favour majority ethnic Malays had marginalised them. 

 

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
    Advertisement

    Live tv

    Advertisement
    Advertisement