Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian government on Thursday told foreign missions that the arrest of Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders under the stringent Internal Security Act (ISA) was to prevent chaos and racial division of society.
On Thursday, prominent ethnic Indian and Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar and four other associates were detained on sedition charges under the controversial ISA that allows for detention without trial.
Uthayakumar had been released on bail Wednesday and rearrested the next day.
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said he was informing foreign missions, not seeking their consent and that it did not matter whether they agreed or not to the Malaysian government's side of the story, the Star newspaper reported Friday.
The ISA, enacted in the early 1960s during a national state of emergency to put down a communist insurrection, has been criticised by both international and domestic human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and the Malaysian Human Rights Commission on grounds that it violates fundamental international standards.
"The ISA was no different from the laws existing in other developed countries, including the US' Patriot Act," he said.
The Malaysian PM too defended the decision to invoke law against ethnic-Indian leaders. Premier Abdullah Badawi was quoted by local media as saying the actions of leaders was “treachery" while an opposition party said it will challenge the move in court.
Abdullah said Hindraf's allegations of "ethnic cleansing" and marginalisation of ethnic-Indians in Malaysia had hurt the country's image and could seriously impair efforts to attract investors and tourists.
"These actions could be deemed as treachery," he was quoted as saying by media here after signing the detention orders for five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders under the Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows detention without trial.
"Yes, I have signed the detention orders and there is nothing more to explain. When I feel the situation warrants it, I just sign," he said after a close-door meeting with Brisan Nasional leaders.
Abdullah said the country's peace and security superseded the freedom of speech. "I value what is freedom, but law and order is more important and needs to be preserved."
In Johor Baru, Malaysian Indian Congress president and Minister of works Samy Vellu described the arrests of five Hindraf members as a timely move.
"It is necessary for the sake of maintaining peace and security in the country," he said, adding that the government had taken a bold move to arrest the leaders who were out to jeopardise the country's security and show the world that the country was not peaceful.
In an apparent snub to US, Albar said asked the US to look at its own human rights record in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay prison where many Talibans and their associates from Afghanistan have been held captive.
"Some countries like to comment on other countries but do not look what is happening in their own country, how destructive and how difficult they are," Albar said.
Hindraf courted controversy after a protest rally it organised Nov 25 was declared illegal and dispersed.
The Malaysian government also did not permit the holding of a lawyers' rally on the Human Rights Day. The government has said all rallies without police permission were illegal.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)
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