- Spineless Subra justifies ISA arrest

Hindraf perlu tanggung risiko

Oleh SAIFULIZAM MOHAMAD

KUALA LUMPUR 12 Dis. – Bekas Timbalan Presiden MIC, Datuk S. Subramaniam berkata, setiap pemimpin Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) yang terlibat membuat dakwaan berlaku pembersihan etnik di negara ini wajar menanggung segala risiko akibat perbuatan mereka itu.

Beliau berkata, mereka harus sentiasa bersedia untuk dikenakan apa juga tindakan undang-undang termasuk Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) kerana apa yang didakwa itu terbukti palsu dan tidak berasas.

Jelasnya, sebagai sebuah negara pelbagai kaum, dakwaan seperti itu sememangnya boleh menimbulkan keresahan yang akhirnya menyebabkan timbul prasangka buruk di kalangan rakyat.

‘‘Dakwaan bahawa kerajaan mengamalkan pembersihan etnik merupakan satu tuduhan yang amat berat dan langsung tidak berasas. Oleh itu mereka harus bersedia menanggung apa jua tindakan undang-undang yang akan dikenakan ke atas mereka.

‘‘Kerajaan terpaksa melakukan tindakan sedemikian dalam usaha memastikan kepentingan rakyat dan negara ini tidak terjejas,’’ katanya ketika ditemui Utusan Malaysia di sini, hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian sebagai mengulas tindakan kerajaan menahan pemimpin serta penyokong Hindraf ekoran perhimpunan haram yang dianjurkan oleh badan itu di ibu kota baru-baru ini.

Antara yang ditahan ialah peguam Hindraf, P.Uthayakumar. Dia telah didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen di sini semalam, di bawah Akta Hasutan 1948 kerana menerbitkan satu surat berunsur hasutan di laman web Police Watch Malaysia.

Uthayakumar bersama S. Ganapathy Rao dan P. Waythamoorthy sebelum ini didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen Klang di bawah Akta Hasutan.

Dalam pada itu, Subramaniam meminta kerajaan tidak meneruskan tindakan undang-undang ke atas penyokong-penyokong Hindraf yang kini telah dihadapkan ke mahkamah kerana kebanyakan mereka tidak sedar mengenai motif sebenar perhimpunan anjuran badan tersebut pada 25 November lalu.

‘‘Saya percaya mereka terperangkap. Mereka langsung tidak mengetahui dakwaan Hindraf mengenai pembersihan etnik seperti mana yang terkandung dalam surat yang diberikan kepada Perdana Menteri Britain, Gordon Brown.

‘‘Tujuan mereka menyertai perhimpunan itu hanyalah berasaskan kepada keyakinan mereka terhadap Hindraf untuk memperjuangkan nasib masyarakat India di negara ini,’’ katanya.

Berbeza pemimpin Hindraf, beliau berkata, sudah tentu golongan terbabit mempunyai agenda-agenda tertentu demi kepentingan masing-masing.

Mengenai dakwaan bahawa penduduk India di Malaysia masih ketinggalan, Subramaniam berkata, sedikit sebanyak dakwaan tersebut ada kebenarannya.

****************
Saturday December 15, 2007

ISA detainee misses his three children

By HAH FOONG LIAN

thestar

TAIPING: The first thing Hindraf legal adviser M. Manoharan asked his wife when she visited him at the Kamunting detention camp here yesterday was about his three children.

V.N.S. Pushpaneela, 46, said Manoharan missed the two boys, aged eight and 10, and girl, also 10, because he had not seen them for two weeks.

“He asked why I did not bring the children along,” she said after she was allowed to see Manoharan, 46, for 45 minutes.

Concerned wife: Pushpaneela answering questions from newsmen who surrounded her at the gates of the Kamunting detention camp in Taiping on Friday. On her left is Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran.

She added that her husband had not seen the children because they were away visiting their cousins in Klang during the school holidays.

On Thursday, Manoharan and four others – lawyers V. Ganabatirau, P. Uthayakumar and R. Kenghadharan and Hindraf coordinator T. Vasanthakumar – were detained for two years under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Pushpaneela said she was shocked to find out that her husband had been detained because he was only fighting for the rights of the Indian community.

“He did not do anything wrong,” she said.

She added that her children were very disturbed when they heard that their father would be detained for two years.

On her visit, Pushpaneela said her husband looked fine and he met the other detainees for breakfast.

“He looks healthy and went for a jog this morning,” she said.

She added that Manoharan was sent to Kamunting at midnight after he was arrested on Thursday afternoon.

Pushpaneela said the camp authorities allowed her to visit Manoharan once a week, adding that the families of the other four detainees were also there for a visit.