By IANS
Kuala Lumpur : Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has dismissed reports about ethnic groups holding racial meetings, saying that these were just rumours, and has appealed for calm among all communities.
His assurance Saturday came even as a senior minister warned of more arrests under the stringent Internal Security Act (ISA) following rumours that the Malay-majority would conduct race riots Sunday in retaliation to a mass rally brought by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), who complained of racial discrimination.
“Rumours, rumours, rumours. Tell me who is it from? As far as I know, the Malays are not having any such gathering tomorrow. Don’t make up stories and scare people,” the prime minister told reporters Saturday.
Malaysia’s Deputy Internal Security Minister Mohd Johari Baharum said a list of names has been submitted to the government by the police, and it was only a matter of time before several others were detained under the ISA, the New Straits Times said Sunday.
Malaysia has already held five ethnic Indians – P. Uthayakumar, M. Manoharan, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kengadharan and K. Vasanthakumar, all activists of Hindraf – under the ISA after they were accused of organising a protest rally Nov 25 that was declared illegal and dispersed.
Prime Minister Badawi has justified the arrests under the ISA, which allows detention without trial.
The Malaysian police said they have evidence to suggest that Hindraf has links with international terror groups like Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), that has been banned by the UN, the US, Britain, India and others.
Badawi said various groups, including Indian-run NGOs, wanted action to be taken against street protestors.
“The majority has spoken. People want peace, harmony and public order. They don’t want their income or their lives to be disrupted,” the prime minister said.
“People don’t want street protests. Whatever action taken by the government against street protestors is according to what the people want,” he said, adding that the police would take appropriate measures to ensure that peace and stability continues in the country.