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Tuesday, 1 January 2013

Lawyer wants to hold vigil for rape victim

The Sun Daily 
by Elly Fazaniza

PETALING JAYA (Dec 31, 2012): A Malaysian lawyer and social activist has called on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to show support and solidarity for the 23-year-old Indian national who died on Saturday after being gang-raped.

R. Kengadharan is calling for a candlelight memorial to be held at the hospital where she was warded and passed away in Singapore.

Kengadharan said he had sent a letter to the Singapore police commissioner Ng Joo Hee and the Singapore home affairs minister to allow the memorial to be held at Mount Elizabeth Hospital at 7.30pm on Saturday.

However, if the request is rejected, Kengadharan said he would arrange for one to be held at the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur instead.

He hopes Malaysians from all walks of life will attend the ceremony.

"This rape is no longer a domestic issue but has created a global impact where it is imperative for government officials to combat this serious malaise," he told theSun yesterday.

"Currently, I have only received an acknowledgement letter from the government of Singapore's home affairs ministry and police commissioner's public relations officer. The application has been sent to the relevant departments for consideration," he said.

Two weeks ago, the medical student was raped by six men in New Delhi and sustained serious internal injuries. After undergoing three operations in New Delhi, she was transferred to Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital because of its multi-transplant facilities. However, she died there on Saturday.

Kengadharan urged local authorities to thoroughly study the response time to emergency-related cases and react more quickly to ensure a similar incident does not happen here.

"I am also appealing to the Indian government to assure the safety of our Malaysian students and tourists in India," he said.

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