AFP image
Kuala Lumpur:
A Hindu Rights group in Malaysia has said it wanted to have a dialogue with the country's Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to discuss ways and means to tackle problems confronting the Indian community.
Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) top leader P Wayathamoorthy, who is on a self-imposed exile in London, said he was prepared to meet Najib to outline the grouses that had pushed Hindraf to mobilise members of the Indian community to a protest rally on November 25, 2007.
Over 20,000 ethnic Indians had gathered at the rally to voice their protest against alleged discrimination of the minority community by the government.
The government, which was totally taken by surprise over the rally, had banned the group and sent five of its leaders to detention under internal security Act.
Indians form eight per cent of Malaysia's 27 million population. A majority of them are Tamils.
However, two members of the banned group were released from detention after Najib took over as the premier earlier this month.
"It is timely for the prime minister and the government of the day to engage Hindraf and the Makkal Sakthi (people's power) movement in a dialogue to discuss ways and means to tackle various problems afflicting the Indian community in Malaysia," Waythamoorthy was quoted by a local daily as saying.
Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) top leader P Wayathamoorthy, who is on a self-imposed exile in London, said he was prepared to meet Najib to outline the grouses that had pushed Hindraf to mobilise members of the Indian community to a protest rally on November 25, 2007.
Over 20,000 ethnic Indians had gathered at the rally to voice their protest against alleged discrimination of the minority community by the government.
The government, which was totally taken by surprise over the rally, had banned the group and sent five of its leaders to detention under internal security Act.
Indians form eight per cent of Malaysia's 27 million population. A majority of them are Tamils.
However, two members of the banned group were released from detention after Najib took over as the premier earlier this month.
"It is timely for the prime minister and the government of the day to engage Hindraf and the Makkal Sakthi (people's power) movement in a dialogue to discuss ways and means to tackle various problems afflicting the Indian community in Malaysia," Waythamoorthy was quoted by a local daily as saying.
