Kuala Lumpur: At least 88 ethnic Indians were charged in court on Wednesday for taking part in a massive, banned rally to demand equal rights for minority Indians in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
The Indians pleaded not guilty to the charge of ''participating in an illegal assembly'' on Sunday by about 10,000 people, said a defense lawyer, Saha Deva A Arunasalam. Most were freed on bail.
Some were also charged with refusing to disperse and trying to injure police officers, said Arunasalam and his colleague, Joshua Sambantha. If convicted, they could be jailed for between six months and two years, the lawyers said.
They said about 85 people were charged. They did not have an exact number because the cases were heard in five different courts. However, national news agency Bernama said 88 people were charged, and 23 more would be charged soon.
The Indians were arrested during the unprecedented demonstration in downtown Kuala Lumpur which stunned the normally peaceful nation. The protests lasted about seven hours despite the repeated firing of tear gas and water cannons by police.
''People won't be deterred. They want to put their foot down,'' said P Uthayakumar, one of the organisers of the rally. ''To me it is racially motivated. The public will have more hatred for the government.''
Ethnic Indians, mostly descendants of 19th century plantation workers brought to Malaysia from southern India by British colonial officials, say they face discrimination because of an affirmative action policy which favors Malay Muslims in jobs, education, business and government contracts.
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Malays form about 60 per cent of Malaysia's 27 million people and control politics and the government. Indians comprise eight per cent and are the second biggest minority after Chinese, who make up a quarter of the population.
Most Indians earn low incomes and work in menial jobs. They also have low education and have a small share of corporate equity.
Indians also complain that Malaysia's Muslim-dominated government is becoming increasingly Islamic and is denying them their religious rights, citing the recent demolition of several Hindu temples.
The government denies that discrimination exists, and has accused the rally organizers of trying to create racial animosity. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi warned Tuesday that he might enforce a security law that allows indefinite detention without trial to prevent future demonstrations.
Thiruchelven Rajoo, a 30-year-old electrician who was charged in court on Wednesday, said he didn't regret taking part in the rally because it helped draw attention to the plight of Indians in the country.
''I am not worried because I am doing it for my rights. It is unfair to all Indians in Malaysia ... they treat us like dogs,'' he said.
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