Five HINDRAF leaders detained under ISA

KUALA LUMPUR: Five leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) have been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA), with police saying more could be picked up.

The detained leaders are (from left) : P. Uthayakumar, M. Manoharan, R. Kengadharan, V. Ganabatirau and K. Vasantha Kumar.

Bukit Aman police officers picked them up between 12.30pm and 2.30pm yesterday.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said they were picked up under Section 8(1) of the ISA after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Internal Security Minister, signed their detention order.

Their detention is for two years.

“Other personalities who are involved or have links with any terrorist organisation that could threaten or jeopardise national security will be picked up,” he said.

The IGP said all five had been sent to the Kamunting detention centre.

Uthayakumar was picked up from his office in Bangsar here; Kengadharan from his office in SS2/55, Petaling Jaya; Vasantha Kumar from a restaurant in Brickfields; Manoharan from his Pantai office; and Ganabatirau in Seremban.

The group came into the spotlight on Nov 25 when it organised a mass protest that saw thousands of Indians gathering at various locations in the city to support Hindraf’s plan to submit a petition with 100,000 signatures to the British High Commission.

The petition was to ask 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 in Indians as indentured labourers to the then Malaya and exploiting them.

P. Waythamoorthy, who is another Hindraf leaders, is currently overseas.

All Malaysian news paper reported the news.