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Sedition trial starts for Malaysia Indian activist
Associated Press - October 20, 2008
Julia Zappei, Kuala Lumpur – A prominent ethnic Indian activist went on trial for sedition Monday for claiming that the Malay Muslim-dominated government practiced "ethnic cleansing" policies to persecute Malaysia's Indian minority.
P. Uthayakumar, a top official in the Hindu Rights Action Force activist group, was in court for his first public appearance since December 2007, when he and four other ethnic Indians were arrested and imprisoned without trial for allegedly inciting racial hatred.
Uthayakumar's group has returned to the spotlight after the government banned it last week and declared it an "extremist group" that was "detrimental to public order and security."
The group shot to prominence last November when it led tens of thousands of ethnic Indians in a rare street protest calling for an end to pro-Malay policies and better opportunities for Indians, who are near the bottom of Malaysia's social ladder.
Uthayakumar, a key organizer of the rally, was charged with sedition in December for publishing material on a Web site that accused the government of "ethnic cleansing" policies that included attacking and killing ethnic Indians. He denounced the charge Monday as a "malicious persecution," and stressed that his months in detention have not softened his opposition toward the government.
"They are being vindictive," Uthayakumar, 47, told reporters in court, where he wore rumpled old clothes and sported a new beard. "I will fight to the end. I think I've become stronger as a result of my incarceration."
Uthayakumar faces up to three years in prison if convicted of sedition, but it was not immediately clear how that would affect his current detention under the Internal Security Act, which provides for indefinite imprisonment for people accused of threatening national security.
More than 100 supporters thronged the court amid tight police security. The ban on Uthayakumar's group meant that anyone who joined activities associated with it can be prosecuted and face up to five years in prison.
The ethnic Indian protest last year was considered a watershed in national politics, emboldening Malaysians unhappy with the government and boosting opposition parties to spectacular gains in general elections in March.
Malay Muslims account for nearly two-thirds of Malaysia's 27 million people while ethnic Chinese nd Indians, who are mostly non-Muslims, are the largest minorities. The government denies discriminating against minorities.
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