Home Ministry wants to ban the HINDRAF

PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry wants to ban the Hindu Rights Action Force.

Secretary-general Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said as Hindraf was not a registered organisation, the ministry's legal unit would look at the technicality of disbanding the group.

He said Hindraf had on many occasions created unrest within the community, citing the recent gate-crashing of the prime minister and cabinet's Hari Raya open house as an example.

Abdul Aziz said Hindraf's insolence could not be tolerated as it had angered many, especially Muslims who felt Hindraf had marred the spirit of the Hari Raya.

He also said the police were looking into who were behind the incident. Speaking to the New Straits Times from Singapore, Abdul Aziz was also bemused at reports that Hindraf had lodged a police report against Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar and Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, for allegedly hurting the feelings of Hindraf members in a news report.
He said if the report had been made under Hindraf's name, it would be ridiculous as the group was not even a formal entity.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had on Monday said he was irked by Hindraf's attitude during the incident.

Having allowed the group who came in colour-coordinated T-shirts to join the celebrations, Abdullah said he regretted their unruly behaviour of chanting for the abolition of the Internal Security Act and the release of their leaders detained under the Act.

Abdullah said the group was also arrogant as they did not even bother to shake the extended hands of the hosts and country's leaders who stood in a line to greet visitors to the open house.

Hindraf coordinator R. Thanenthiran had claimed that the Utusan Malaysia front page report on Oct 4, titled "Hindraf diberi amaran" (Hindraf warned), quoting Syed Hamid, was unfair and smacked of racial undertones.

He also demanded that Syed Hamid apologise openly as his statement had hurt the feelings of Hindraf members.(NST)