HINDRAF – Media Statement- Formal complaint to United nations.

Press Statement 4^th June 2010.
Re: Hindraf submits formal complaint/Annual Human Rights Report to the Human Rights Council based in Geneva.
Urged UN to appoint a Special Rapporteur on the marginalized Malaysian Indians.
Hindraf Chairman P.Waytha Moorthy met Rapporteurs/ Senior officials at the United Nations Human Rights Council based in Geneva on the 31^st May 2010 together with Hindraf representatives from Geneva, Bala Chelliah and Balan Rengasamy.
An annual Human Rights Report titled Human Rights Violations Against the Ethnic Minority Malaysian Indians was submitted to the Human Rights body to enable it to understand and take further action on the particular Human Rights violations against Malaysian Indians. We had also made a formal request for UN to appoint an independent Special Rapporteur on Malaysia to report the Human Rights violations against the ethnic Malaysian Indians to the Secretary General.
Other issues of serious concern discussed were as follows:
a) The systematic and State sponsored Institutionalised marginalisation of the Malaysian Indians.
b) The fate of over 300,000 (forgotten) Internally displaced persons belonging to the ethnic Malaysian Indian community who have been uprooted from the plantation/estates without compensation, training opportunities, compensation and planned relocation/resettlement.
c) The estimated 150,000 stateless Malaysian Indians including children who are unable to attend schools and avail to medical and other welfare/state benefits and seek decent job opportunities.
d) The arbitrary detention of Human Rights Defenders and Lawyers.
e) The manipulation of the majority UMNO led Government of provisions contained in Article 153 pertaining to the Special position of the Malays to exclude the rights of other legitimate citizens and the threat of violence on any citizens who question the Malay-Muslim domination and hegemony.
f) The state control of Public and private bodies especially;
Malaysian Police
State Administration
    Judiciary
     Media
g) The denial of equal educational and job opportunities for Non- Malays.
h) The continuous attempt to prosecute and persecute Hindraf Lawyers especially P.Uthayakumar who is facing the prospect of a 3 year prison for writing a letter to the former UK Prime Minister on the “ethnic cleansing” of the Malaysian Indians. Uthayakumar has “served” 514 days without trial for the same “offence” during his ISA detention and now the Malaysian Government is targeting him again for this unknown offence.
We were assured that our complaints would be seriously considered and studied by the UN Special rapporteur on Contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance Mr. Githu Muigai.
Hindraf also urged Country visit from the Rapporteurs for Freedom of Religion and the Human Rights Defenders.
As a further attempt to hold Malaysia accountable, Hindraf would lobby countries during its Human Rights Council sessions in future including the Israel and Germany, which strongly criticized and questioned the poor Human Rights record of Malaysia at the Universal Periodic Review in February 2009. Hindraf would lobby for members of the Human Rights Council to question Malaysia at its Human Rights review in 2011 on the unfulfilled promises and pledges Malaysia made during the periodic review in 2009.
P.Waytha Moorthy
Chairman
Hindraf.