Malaysiarejected a plea for the release of five top ethnic Indian activists detained, saying decision was based on 'legitimate processes of law'.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Monday rejected a plea for the release of five top ethnic Indian activists detained under the draconian Internal Security Act since December last, saying decision was based on 'legitimate processes of law'.
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the five members of the non governmental Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) will remain under detention despite a call from Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) President Samy Vellu to release them, national news agency Bernama said.
"It is MIC's right to raise the issue. But my job is to ensure that whatever action taken on an issue is not based on my decision. It (detention) was a decision made based on legitimate processes of the law before I took over the office of ensuring security and public order in the country," Syed Hamid was quoted as saying here.
The minister was commenting on Samy Vellu's statement yesterday that he would urge Prime Minister Abdulah Ahmad Badawi to release the five Hindraf leaders.
Syed Hamid said Samy Vellu was a politician and had the right to voice opinions as he was the leader of a national party. "But we have the duty and responsibility to perform better", he added.
Samy Vellu had said the government should release the Hindraf leaders as the general election was over and there had been no serious incidents after that. He asked that two of the ISA detainees, R Kenghadharan, said to be ailing, and M Manoharan, who recently won the Kota Shah Alam state seat, be released first.
Vellu said the other two, V Ganabatirau, 34, and K Vasantha Kumar had not been very much involved in the November 25 protest rally. The fifth leader being detained under the ISA is P Uthayakumar.
Vellu, who held the post of Works minister in Abdullah's last cabinet, bit the dust at the March 8 general elections losing his Sungei Siput parliamentary seat which he had held for eight terms.
Ethnic Indians attributed the defeat to Vellu's failure to uplift the community in Malaysia despite being at the helm of the MIC, which is a component of the ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional Party for almost three decades.
One of the issues which Vellu failed to take up when he was in the cabinet was pushing for the release of the five Hindraf members, who were arrested for leading a November 25 rally, in which over 20,000 Indians had attended, to protest against marginalisation of the Indian community.
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