Death toll from ethnic violence in Malaysia rises

Malaysian riot police with shields and batons and backed by trucks mounted with water cannons are fanning out across Kuala Lumpur's suburbs.

The move comes as the death toll from four days of ethnic violence rose to five.

Fights between ethnic Malays and Indians broke out early on Sunday in at least two new areas on the outskirts of Malaysia's largest city.

Police are struggling to control skirmishing which has gone on the four days.

Jamil Johari, the police deputy inspector-general, said that five people have been killed and 37 injured, four seriously, since the first fights started on Thursday. A total of 153 people have been arrested.

The government and authorities insist the fighting is not racially motivated, but witnesses said the clashes were between rival ethnic groups using weapons including machete-like knives called parangs, hockey sticks and iron staves.

At least three of those killed and 34 of the injured were ethnic Indian, police spokesman Benjamin Hasbie said.

Of those arrested, 88 were ethnic Malays, 56 were ethnic Indian and the others were Indonesians living in Malaysia. Local residents claimed the death and injury toll were higher than official reports.

On Saturday, Malay Muslims and ethnic Indians insulted and attacked each other and an Indian group chased a Malay man, seized his motorcycle and set it on fire.

The fighting originated in a row last weekend between an Indian funeral procession and Malays celebrating a wedding. According to stories circulating in the area, a drunken Indian man kicked over a chair at the Malay party, leading to the fighting.