PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA, May 8, 2009: The Malaysian government gave signs it plans to release three leaders of a banned ethnic Indian protest group along with 10 others who have been held without trial.
“If they (Hindraf) want us to reconsider the status, they have to make an appeal. When they do make the appeal, I will reconsider the status,” Home Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein told reporters.
Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy declared that he wanted to return to Malaysia from self-imposed exile in London. The home minister said he would not speculate on Waythamoorthy’s status, but that the ministry would review his application, if he had made one.
Political analysts, however, said the release of these prisoners will change little, since the ISA is only one of many Malaysian laws used to clamp down on dissent. The Malaysian economy has been affected by the ethnic and political tensions, according to analysts from the HSBC Bank.
The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), protesting against racial discrimination, staged a massive street demonstration in November 2007. Hindraf was subsequently banned by the government and its leaders arrested.