Pro - LTTE Chif Minister Agreed with anti-Tamils Govt. in Malaysia

(November, 30, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Thursday refused to reply to a Malaysian minister who had asked him to 'lay off' after the DMK leader voiced concern over the police action against Tamil migrants in that country.'I did not criticise the government of Malaysia,' Karunanidhi said.

'I wrote to the prime minister of India (Manmohan Singh) to protect Tamils in Malaysia. I do not want to get into an argument with the government of Malaysia,' he said.

The DMK leader's statement came a day after Nazri Aziz, the minister in the Malaysian prime minister's office, warned him to keep out of Malaysian politics.

'This has got nothing to do with him ... lay off,' said the Malaysian minister.

In a response to Karunanidhi's earlier statement that he was very pained over the treatment meted out to Tamils in Malaysia, Aziz said he should 'worry' about his own state and not about the happenings in Malaysia, the New Straits Times reported.

'His place is in Tamil Nadu, not Malaysia. He should worry about his own state. His own state has got problems,' Aziz said.

Karunanidhi replied: 'I was only doing my duty as chief minister and a Tamil and spoke up for ethnic Tamils. It is my duty to defend Tamils and people of Indian origin.

'I am ready to accept any criticism for doing so. If there is any punishment for doing my duty, I am prepared to accept that.'

On Sunday over 10,000 ethnic Indians protested in Kuala Lumpur, demanding more access to jobs, education, health and against the 'systematic destruction' of Hindu temples in the country.

The protesters also marched in support of a $4 trillion lawsuit filed in London in August by Hindraf, a Malaysia-based Hindu rights group, demanding that Britain compensate Malaysian Indians for bringing their ancestors to the country as indentured labourers and exploiting them.
The police had detained over 240 ethnic Indians for participating in the rally.

The Indian community in Malaysia has all along alleged that access to housing, education, financial loans and jobs are given to Malays on a preferential basis.

The destruction of Hindu temples by the Malaysian government has added to their grievances.
Ethnic Indians constitute eight percent of the total population of 27 million, but they control just 1.5 percent of the economy.