Sunday, November 25, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has indefinitely called off the handing over of its petition to the British High Commission.
A. Sivanesan, one of the lawyers representing the three Hindraf members who were charged with sedition at the Klang Sessions Court on Friday, said the handing over was called off as the group could not get to the High Commission after gathering for about seven hours.
Large groups were seen gathering at Jalan Ampang and Jalan Tun Razak from as early as 6am Sunday.
Police and Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel began dispersing the crowds using water cannons and teargas at the Jalan Ampang and Jalan Tun Razak intersection by about 7.20am, after giving them warnings to disperse.
The gathering, organised by Hindraf, had hoped to hand over the petition to the British High Commission.
The police had not given the group a permit to hold the gathering on Sunday.
The petition to the British Commission asks for Queen Elizabeth II to appoint a Queen's counsel to represent the Indian community in a class action suit against the British Government for bringing Indians as indentured labourers to then Malaya and exploiting them.
The group has filed a US$4 trillion (RM13.5 trillion) suit at the Royal Courts of Justice in London in August claiming that the British were to blame for the marginalisation of Indians in Malaysia.
The suit is equivalent to US$1mil (RM3.4mil) for every Indian in Malaysia.
The police had on Friday served a court order on five members of Hindraf and its supporters restraining them from organising or participating in the planned rally.
Jalan Ampang, which had been closed from 3am because of the gathering, was reopened at 1pm Sunday.
The Avenue K and City Square shopping complexes and the restaurants along Jalan Ampang were closed Sunday morning, while various hotels and Suria KLCC had strict security enforced at their entrances.
The KLCC and Ampang Park LRT stations, which were closed from 6am, were reopened at 3.13pm.
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