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Media Statement (2)        
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Monday): MIC President and Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu should cut short his current India trip and rush back to the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to uphold justice for the Hindraf Five wrongly detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since he has admitted to the Indian media that there is no evidence about Hindraf’s terrorist links.

Samy Vellu had told the Indian media in Chennai that the Malaysian government did not have any evidence that Hindraf had connection with Tamil Tigers or terrorists. He was responding to questions from reporters in Chennai.

This is the Q & A on the NDTVG.com where Samy Vellu admitted that there is no evidence that Hindraf has terrorist links:

NDTV: Do you have any evidence to back your government's charge that the Hindraf has links with terrorists?

D S Vellu: Hindraf said they would fight like the Tigers, the way the Tigers are fighting in Sri Lanka. It was by Vedamurthy. After he talked like that, we did an investigation and it was felt that he may have gone there for training.

NDTV: Do you have evidence of this?

D S Vellu: No. It is our suspicion.

(http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080037517&ch=1/2/2008%206:04:00%20PM)

It was because of the alleged Hindraf’s terrorist links that the Hindraf Five, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, M. Manoharan, R. Kenghadharan and T. Vasantha Kumar were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

The Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan had told Malaysians immediately after their ISA arrests on 14th December 2007 that the detention of the Hindraf Five was “imperative” because “they clearly have links with international terrorist organizations”. (NST 15.12.07)

As the whole case for the invocation of the infamous ISA to detain the Hindraf leaders was their international terrorist links, which has now collapsed totally with the admission by Samy Vellu in India, the Hindraf Five, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, M. Manoharan, R. Kenghadharan and T. Vasantha Kumar should be released immediately and unconditionally from ISA detention in Kamunting detention centre.

Samy Vellu cannot do any good in India, with him being snubbed by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi despite waiting for an appointment for three days in Chennai “to clarify his government's stand on the Malaysian Tamils issue”.

Samy Vellu had been a party to the great wrong perpetrated on the Hindraf Five in their ISA detention and the least he should do is to rush back to the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to ensure that justice is done to the five with their immediate and unconditional release without a single moment’s delay.

The other reason which Musa had mentioned to justify their detention was that they were “involved in activities that amount to inciting racial hatred” does not bear scrutiny.

This is because these charges come under the Sedition Act and the Hindraf leaders should be charged in court so that they could exercise their constitutional right to defend themselves in an open trial in accordance with the Constitutional guarantee and Rukunegara principle on the rule of law in Malaysia.

(07/01/2008)