Hindraf launches protest

The protest marks the first anniversary of the jailing of five of the group's leaders last December under a tough security law that allows indefinite detention without trial. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

(AP) KUALA LUMPUR - ABOUT 20 ethnic Indian Malaysian activists launched a protest fast on Sunday to demand the release of their leaders who have been imprisoned without trial for allegedly threatening racial stability.

The protesters began consuming only water outside a Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur, but there was no consensus about how long they will continue the fast, said Mr S. Jayathas, a member of the Hindu Rights Action Force.

'We want the government to listen to us and look into our legitimate rights,' Mr Jayathas said.

The group shot to prominence in November 2007 when it led tens of thousands of Indians in a rare street protest seeking an end to policies benefiting the Malay Muslim majority and to gain better opportunities for Indians, who form the bottom rung of Malaysia's social ladder.

The protest marks the first anniversary of the jailing of five of the group's leaders last December under a tough security law that allows indefinite detention without trial.

The government has also since banned the group, accusing it of inciting racial hatred.

Last year's street rally was considered a watershed in the country's politics, emboldening Malaysians unhappy with the government and boosting opposition parties to spectacular gains in general elections in March.

Minority Indians and ethnic Chinese have recently become more vocal in speaking out against the government's decades-old policy that provide privileges in education, jobs and business to Malays, who comprise nearly two-thirds of Malaysia's 27 million people. -- AP