By IANS
Kuala Lumpur : A rally in support of arrested Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) activists has been foiled by Malaysian authorities, media reports said Monday.
Hindraf coordinator R.S. Thanenthiran said that police roadblocks prevented supporters from converging at the rally venue Sunday at Taiping, a major tourist destination.
“There were at least four roadblocks,” The Star newspaper quoted him as saying.
Last week, five prominent leaders of Hindraf were detained under the stringent Internal Security Act (ISA).
“It was supposed to be a peaceful gathering to give moral support to the wives and children of the five,” Thanenthiran said.
Taiping Assistant Commissioner Raja Musa Raja Razak said policemen had manned roadblocks at various locations since the early hours. The crowd that gathered at the Kamunting Mariamman temple finally dispersed.
Hindraf has courted controversy since it organised a protest rally last month to highlight the grievances of the ethnic Indian community. The police declared it illegal and dispersed it.
Ethnic Indians constitute eight percent of Malaysia’s 27 million people.