Malaysia PM expresses concerns ahead of protest

Malaysia’s prime minister urged ethnic Indians today to shun a protest aimed at airing their economic grievances, saying its planners were suspected of encouraging people to rebel.

The Hindu Rights Action Force, an influential nongovernment group, wants thousands of people to demonstrate outside the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow to highlight how Malaysia’s ethnic Indian minority has remained largely poor under both British colonial rule and the present government dominated by Malay Muslims.

Authorities have declared the rally illegal and stepped up security amid concerns of potential violence. Three ethnic Indian activists were arrested and charged in court with sedition yesterday, but Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi denied that it was because they were the key organisers of the rally.