India takes up cause of diaspora in Malaysia

Fri Nov 30, 2007 6:14am EST

(Recasts with Indian statements, changes dateline)

By Y.P. Rajesh

NEW DELHI, Nov 30 (Reuters) - India said on Friday it was concerned about the treatment of ethnic Indians in Malaysia and had taken up with Kuala Lumpur accusations that protesters from the community had been harassed there this week.

On Sunday, more than 10,000 Malaysian 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.

Police used tear gas and water canons to disperse the protesters, many of them Tamils with their roots in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, sparking outrage and demands from Tamil politicians that New Delhi intervene.

"The government remains deeply solicitous for the welfare of people of Indian origin living abroad," Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament.

"We have friendly relations with Malaysia and we are in touch with the Malaysian authorities in the related matter."

Indian TV channels have shown graphic images of police action on the protesters and newspapers splashed comments from a Malaysian minister who asked a prominent Indian Tamil leader to "lay off" after he complained about the incident.

The issue even dominated a news conference Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed on Friday with Portugal Prime Minister and European Union President Jose Socrates.

"Whenever Indian citizens abroad or people of Indian origin living abroad are adversely affected, that naturally is a source of concern to us," Singh said in response to repeated questions. "This is a matter that does concern us."

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.

New Delhi's expression of solidarity came as the Hindu rights group behind Sunday's protest said its leader had left for India before heading to London, Geneva, Brussels and Washington to lobby for international support.

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) said its chairman P. Waythamoorthy left Malaysia on Wednesday "in the light of the crackdown and threats of detention without trial". He is expected to meet Indian leaders including the foreign minister and chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

Separately, one private immigration agency in Malaysia said that an unusually large number of Malaysian Indians had inquired about migrating to Australia after Sunday's protest.

"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." (Additional reporting by Jalil Hamid in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)



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