Click to play videoNew Delhi: A crackdown on Tamils in Malaysia has made Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi sit up and seek action.
On Tuesday, Karunanidhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manomhan Singh, expressing deep concern at the treatment meted out to Malaysian ethnic Indian community.
Another Dravidian leader, the MDMK's Vaiko, also asked the Centre to step in. He said 90 percent of ethnic Indians in Malaysia are Tamils and are discriminated against in education and employment opportunities.
Malay police used tear gas and water cannons on a 10,000 strong rally on Sunday. Over 200 ethnic Indians were detained for their protest, demanding equal rights.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi warned that he may invoke a security law, allowing indefinite detention without trial to halt street demonstrations.
But a Tamil minister in Malaysia has called the protests a farce. Samy Vellu, The President of the Malaysian Indian Congress denied he was out of touch with the increasingly agitated Indians in Malaysia.
"They are just levelling unfounded excuses in order to popularise themselves. I considered them. They are not fighting for the Indians. They are fighting to create a problem,” said Vellu.
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