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Is there any international outcry to stop demolishing Hindu temples in Malaysia?

KUALA LUMPUR, December 02, 2007
Sunder Malhotra

According to local media, over 79 Hindu temples had been demolished by the Malaysian government since 1957. The official reason given by the Malaysian government has been that the temples were built "illegally and all these temples must be demolish even temples are centuries old.

• From February 2006, 19 Hindu temples have been demolished
• 100 years old, Maha Mariamman Temple in Padang Jawa was demolished on October 30, 2007, just before Diwali. Several hundred police personnel and local council authorities clashed with the residents who sought to stop the demolition of the temple. Even Malaysian minister has urged local authorities to immediately cease demolition of Hindu temples after a 100-year-old shrine was pulled down but it is still continue--- Click Photo------>

• Agence France-Presse, April 21, 2006 reports, "Malaysian authorities have demolished a century-old Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur, bulldozing the building as devotees cried and begged them to stop. The Malaimel Sri Selva Kaliamman Temple was reduced to rubble after Kuala Lumpur's city hall sent in bulldozers. In a complaint to police, the temple's vice president, Subramaniam Ragappan said:
  • About 300 devotees were praying when the machines arrived, accompanied by police and city hall officials. 'We were forced to stop our prayers and (rituals) halfway as they proceeded to tear down the temple.
  • The city hall tried in 2001 and again in 2004 to tear down the building, which was on government land, but had been dissuaded by politicians. 'Everybody was crying and saying how could the government do this, but they still broke the temple. 'For 100 years, we prayed there. How could they come to remove the temple?'. They were given just one day's notice of the demolition.
• Surinder Singh reports: On May 11, 2006, armed city hall officers from Kuala Lumpur forcefully demolished part of a 90-year-old suburban temple that serves more than 3,000 Hindus. According to Hindraf, at least 300 police personnel and council workers had cordoned off the temple. It said council workers began hurling stones and beating devotees with sticks and batons when they tried to halt the demolition. T Ganaraw, a lawyer who was at the scene said- the demolition work began early in the morning but stopped temporarily to allegedly allow residents to remove the temple's deities. Demolition works continued at about 2pm. The fracas was in full swing by 4pm, involving over 400 residents. "The police were armed with automatic rifles. The temple is completely smashed up, including the temple nursery," said Ganaraw.

NRI, the head of Malaysian Indian Congress, Mr. Samy Vellu said the NRI community had no choice but to build their temples on private or government-owned land, as they did not own any land of their own to build the temples.

One local resident (not NRI) said, there is a fundamental difference in what is happening in Malaysia and other islamic nations. Although the previous prime minister declared the country to be islamic on 29th sep 2001..it isn't and it can't be. 40% of Malaysian citizens are not muslims. what the Malaysian government is trying to do is wipe out our rights. When every country in the world has programs helping minorities, Malaysian govt is bullying us in to following their way.....the islamic way.. destroy temples first, don't grant permission to build another temple..etc..The world outside has no idea what is actually happening in Malaysia..it is truly asia..but not truly free and liberal.We used to be a model islamic nation.....now we are talibanizing it.

When you live in a land with 60% muslim population, then your voice gets drowned in the islamic manifesto.
We have lived with this, because most of us have learned that we are second class citizens and there is the ever looming threat of ISA ( internal security act) that can detain us for 2 years without a trial. Now things have gone too far.

One press reported wrote: Most outsiders are not aware that, non muslims in Malaysia has been suffering when it comes to religious worship. Though the Malaysian govt actively builds mosques and surau's, they will not grant permission to build churches, temples for hindus and budhists believers. It took 28 years for the Catholic church to build a church in their own land in Shah Alam, capital of Selangor state.

Ramesh Chopra on telephone interview said, since Badawi was elected as the latest Malaysian Prime Minister, the facts fume me as I have always prefer to believe that perhaps there is hope after all the unfairness the non-malays (non-muslim) have to go through in the past decades.

British MPs demand Malaysian govt scrap plans to demolish Hindu temples

Dec. 02, 2007:

British MPs have urged the government to take up the plight of Hindus in Malaysia with the Malaysian government and prevail upon Kuala Lumpur not to demolish temples.

Stephen Pound, Chairman of the Labour Friends of India and supported by 19 other MPs, including NRI Labour party leader Keith Vaz, they urged the British government to take up the matter with the Malaysian government in the strongest possible manner and "strongest possible representations to the Malaysian Government both to cease the program of demolition."

One-paragraph Motion said, "This house notes with grave concern the stated intention of the government of Malaysia to demolish 79 Hindu temples."

November 25, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)

Malaysian police fired tear gas and water cannons Sunday to disperse thousands of ethnic Indians who tried to stage a rally that had been banned amid government fears it would stir racial hatred.
Associated Press reporters saw demonstrators being beaten and dragged into trucks by police, who doused them repeatedly with tear gas and chemical-laced water.

Pic byReuters - Protestors being shot by water cannon: For the second time in 2 weeks, police have demonstrated violence by tear gassing and shooting their water cannons at protesters during the Hindu Rights Action Force’s (HINDRAF) rally.

Shoes, slippers and broken flower pots littered the scene outside Kuala Lumpur’s famous Petronas Twin Towers after protesters scattered to hide in hotels and shops. Organizers said hundreds of people were detained.

The rally — an attempt by ethnic Indians to highlight complaints that they are economically marginalized by the ethnic Malay Muslim-dominated government — was the second such street protest in Kuala Lumpur this month.

A Nov. 10 rally that drew thousands of people demanding electoral reforms was also broken up with similar use of force.

November 29, 2007

The United States has become the latest country to comment on the violent crackdown on demonstrations by the Malaysian government and police

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States underscored Wednesday the rights of Malaysians to hold peaceful protests, after Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s government swiftly suppressed mass rallies and threatened to use a draconian law to detain protestors indefinitely without trial.

“We believe citizens of any country should be allowed to peacefully assemble and express their views,” a US State Department official said when commenting on the crackdown of unprecedented street protests in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur this month.

One called for electoral reform which drew some 30,000 people, and another by at least 8,000 ethnic Indians last Sunday was aimed at highlighting racial discrimination.

The rallies were the biggest in a decade and took place despite bans ordered by police, who broke up the gatherings with tear gas, water cannons and baton charges.

The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not go beyond his succinct statement, which was the first reaction by Washington on the rare outpouring of anti-government dissent in Malaysia.

November 07, 2007

Chennai leaders protest in front of the Malaysian consul general office to stop demolishing Hindu temples

Former Union minister Pon. Radhakrishnan, Hindu Munnani leaders Rama Gopalan, D Kuppu Ramu and BJP leader were among those arrested by the city police on Tuesday for staging a demonstration in front of the Malaysian consul general office here against the demolition of the Sri Mahamariamman Temple at Shah Alam, Selangor in Malaysia.

In a memorandum submitted to the vice consul general of Malaysia, the Hindu Munnani leaders expressed shock over the Malaysian government's silence while Hindu temples were being desecrated and demolished. "We expect the government of Malaysia to strongly condemn the desecrations, violation of Hindu civil rights and to make amends by rebuilding the temples to assuage the sentiments of Hindus.

 

The Malaysian government claims:

• These temples were built "illegally" on Govt. Land.

All these temples must be demolish even temples are centuries old
Click for bigger View
Maha Mariamman Temple was demolished just before Diwali.

• NRI came to Malaysia from Tamil Nadu in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of these came to work as labourers on rubber plantations, while those who were English-educated occupied more professional positions. A minority of Indian immigrants to Malaysia during this time period came from Northern India and Sri Lanka.The ethnic minority Indians in Malaysia were brought in to Malaysia by the British some 200 over years ago. Since independence in 1957 the Malaysian Indians have been permanently colonialised by the Islamic fundamentalist and Malay chauvinists UMNO led Malaysian government.
• Many NRIs follow the Shaivite, or Saivite, tradition (worship of Shiva), of Southern India. Malaysian Hinduism is diverse, with large urban temples dedicated to specific deities, and smaller temples located on estates. Hinduism was prevalent in Malaysia prior to the arrival of Islam in the 15th century. Traces of Hindu influence remain in the Malay language, literature and art. Shaivism is a devotionalist grace-based concept and emphasises love for the deity, rather than fear.Folk Hinduism is the most prevalent variety, including spiritualism and worship of local gods. Since the Second World War a revival of Hinduism has occurred among Indian Malaysians, with the foundation of organisations and councils to bring unity or to promote reform.