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SUARA RAKYAT MALAYSIA (JOHOR BAHRU BRANCH)

Address: 8A, JLN RONGGENG 11, TMN SKUDAI BARU, 81300 SKUDAI, JOHOR Telephone: (607)5581098 Fax: (607)5581098 HP: 016-7782707 Email: suaramjb1@gmail.com Web: www.suaramjb1.blogspot.com

Waytha Moorthy be allowed to return safely

Statement by Friends of Suaram (FOS) Working Committee Johor 23 July 2012

The 30,000-strong mass rally organized by Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) on 25 November 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, highlighted the dissatisfaction of the marginalized Indian community and their perseverance in demanding equality and justice. The mass rally drew nationwide attention, and rocked the UMNO-led BN government. Contemplating that his detention might be imminent, Mr. Waytha Moorthy, as Hindraf core leader, left the country the following day, in order to preserve the leadership for the purpose of continuing the just struggle for the interests and dignity of his community. On 13 December 2007, five Hindraf leaders were arrested under ISA. They were released separately in the months of April and May 2009. On 21 April 2008, Mr Waytha Moorthy was informed by the UK Border Agency upon entry into UK, that his passport had been revoked by the BN government. He has been in exile since then. An official reply from the UK Border Agency to Mr. Waytha Moorthys solicitor, stated that the Malaysian government had informed the British authority in a letter on 14 March 2008 that Mr. Waytha Moorthys passport had been revoked as he was facing criminal charges. On 2 July 2008, the BN government wrote to the British authority demanding that the British authority hand over Mr. Waytha Moorthys passport to the Malaysian High Commission. Since his passport had been revoked, Mr. Waytha Moorthy applied to the British government for political asylum. He managed to obtain a travel document from the
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British government granted according to the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees. He is now able to travel freely around the world, except Malaysia. He filed a legal suit in the British court against the British government. The grounds for filing such suit are: Since Independence of Malaya in 1957, the British government abandoned the Indian community. The Indian community was left to be dominated at the mercy of the racist UMNO regime. In the circumstances, the British government must be held responsible for the plight of the Indian community in Malaysia. Mr. Waytha Moorthy representing the poverty-stricken Indians in Malaysia has made known to the various governments and peoples all over the world that the Malaysian institutional racism has brought about unending disasters to the various oppressed communities. Now, it is time for him to return to his beloved country, be with the people, and to carry on the struggle for new democratic revolution. Hindraf has announced that their visionary and courageous community leader will be returning home on Wednesday, 1 August. As a grassroots organisation striving for democracy and human rights, Friends of Suaram (FOS) Working Committee Johor hereby declare our unreserved support for the uprighteous stand and resolute move taken by Mr. Waytha Moorthy and Hindraf. We firmly believe that: 1. The struggle for preserving the dignity and rights of the Indian community under the leadership of Mr. Waytha Moorthy, is a social movement against racial discrimination and racial oppression. It does not violate human rights or the rights of other ethnic communities, nor does it constitute a threat to national security or terrorism. The BN government is unable to proffer any convincing fact or reason so far to justify its action against Mr. Waytha Moorthy. The following facts bear testimony to this: The BN government had in fact informed the British government of the revocation of Mr. Waytha Moorthys passport. Despite such glaring fact, the government remains in a state of denial. According to news reports, both the then home minister Mr. Syed Hamid and the present home minister Mr. Hishammuddin still refused to admit such fact. According to 6 October 2009 Malay Mail, the IGP Mr. Musa Hassan indicated that the police had no reason to arrest Mr. Waytha Moorthy. The police would not issue a warrant of arrest against him on his return to Malaysia. 2. Mr. Waytha Moorthy and Hindraf have launched various forms of struggle. Though they have declared that their struggle is a new democratic revolution, it is not in breach of any law of the country, and it is well within the framework on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and International Covenants. Article 13 of UDHR: (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
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(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. Article 14 of UDHR: Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. Article 19 of UDHR: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers. Despite the unjustifiable revocation of Mr. Waytha Moorthys passport, Mr. Waytha Moorthy has travelled to many countries to carry on with his work yet to be completed, using a travel document issued under the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees that has been endorsed by many countries globally. In view of the above, the BN government should return Mr. Waytha Moorthy his passport, and allow his safe return to his own country on 1 August. We welcome the return of this visionary and courageous leader, with a view to carrying on the struggle for the marginalized Indian community as well as the rights and well-being of other communities, until the dawn of the new democratic revolution strived for by the various communities.

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Kerajaan Harus Membenarkan Waytha Moorthy Kembali dengan Selamat

Kenyataan Media Jawatankuasa Kerja Sahabat Suaram (FOS) Johor 23 Julai 2012

Perhimpunan anjuran Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) yang disertai 30 ribu orang di Kuala Lumpur pada 25 November 2007 telah menyuarakan kemarahan masyarakat etnik India terhadap peminggiran sejak kemerdekaan dan menunjukkan ketegasan mereka untuk memperjuangkan kedudukan dan maruah bangsa. Tindakan Hindraf tersebut telah menarik perhatian dalam dan luar negara dan menggegarkan kerajaan UMNO-BN. Menimbangkan bahawa beliau mungkin akan ditahan, Waythamoorthy selaku pemimpin utama Hindraf, meninggalkan negara ini pada hari berikutnya, supaya dapat terus memimpin perjuangan untuk kepentingan dan maruah bangsa. Pada 13 Disember 2007, 5 pemimpin HINDRAF telah ditahan di bawah ISA seperti yang dijangka. Mereka dibebaskan secara berasingan pada bulan April dan Mei 2009. Pada 21 April 2008, apabila belayar ke UK, Waytha Moorthy diberitahu oleh Jabatan Imigresen UK bahawa pasport dia telah dibatalkan oleh kerajaan Barisan Nasional. Beliau terpaksa hidup dalam buangan semenjak itu. Balasan rasmi Jabatan Imigresen UK bertarikh 23 September 2008 kepada peguam Waytha Moorthy menyatakan bahawa kerajaan BN Malaysia memaklumkan kepada pihak berkuasa British dalam surat bertarikh 14 Mac 2008 bahawa pasport Waytha Moorthy telah dibatalkan kerana beliau menghadapi tuduhan jenayah. Pada 2 Julai 2008, kerajaan BN sekali lagi menulis kepada pihak British untuk mendesak pihak British memulangkan pasport Waytha Moorthy kepada kerajaan Malaysia. Setelah pasportnya dibatalkan, Waytha Moorthy memohon suaka politik dan mendapat dokumen perjalanan daripada kerajaan British yang diberikan mengikut Konvensyen Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) berkaitan Status Pelarian. Beliau kini bebas bergerak di seluruh dunia, kecuali Malaysia, untuk meneruskan perjuangan memelihara maruah dan hak-hak masyarakat bangsa India miskin di Malaysia.
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Beliau memfailkan saman undang-undang ke atas kerajaan British di mahkamah London 2 Julai lalu. Alasan saman itu ialah: Sejak Kemerdekaan Malaya pada tahun 1957, kerajaan British meninggalkan masyarakat India dan membiarkannya diperintah oleh rejim UMNO yang bersifat perkauman. Dalam keadaan ini, kerajaan British mesti bertanggungjawab terhadap nasib masyarakat India di Malaysia. Waytha Moorthy yang mewakili masyarakat India miskin di Malaysia telah menyebarluaskan Institusional perkauman di Malaysia telah membawa penderitaan berpanjangan kepada masyarakat tertindas kepada rakyat dan kerajaan seluruh dunia. Kini, sudah tiba masanya untuk beliau kembali ke negara tercintanya untuk meneruskan perjuangan revolusi neo-demokratik bersama-sama dengan rakyat tertindas. Hindraf telah mengumum bahawa pemimpin berwawasan dan berani ini akan pulang ke Malaysia pada 1 Ogos (Rabu). Sebagai sebuah organisasi akar umbi yang memperjuangkan hak asasi manusia dan demokrasi, Jawatankuasa Kerja Sahabat SUARAM (FOS) Johor menyokong penuh pendirian benar dan tindakan tegas Hindraf. Kami berpendapat teguh bahawa 1. Perjuangan untuk memelihara maruah dan hak-hak masyarakat India di bawah kepimpinan Waytha Moorthy dan rakan-rakannya, adalah sebuah gerakan sosial yang menentang diskriminasi kaum dan penindasan kaum. Ia bukan aktiviti perkauman yang mencabuli hak asasi manusia atau hak-hak kaum-kaum lain, ia sudah tentu bukan aktiviti ganas yang mengancam keselamatan negara. Kerajaan BN tidak dapat mengemukakan fakta dan sebab yang meyakinkan untuk mengambil tindakan dan menahan Waytha Moorthy setakat ini. Fakta berikut merupakan penjelasan yang terbaik: Menurut laporan media1, kedua-dua Menteri Keselamatan Dalam Negeri dahulu dan semasa Syed Hamid Albar dan Hishamuddin Hussein masih menafikan bahawa kerajaan BN telah membatalkan pasport Waytha Moorthy, walaupun kerajaan BN telah memaklumkannya kepada kerajaan British. Sehingga kini, kerajaan masih enggan mengakui perkara ini secara terbuka. Menurut laporan Malay Mail bertarikh 6 Oktober 2009 2, Ketua Polis Negara (pada masa tersebut) Musa Hassan berkata, polis tidak akan mengeluarkan waran tangkap terhadap Waytha Morthy sekiranya beliau pulang ke Malaysia kerana pihak polis tidak mempunyai alasan untuk menangkap beliau. (2) Waytha Moorthy dan Hindraf telah melancarkan pelbagai perjuangan dalam bentuk dan isi yang berlainan. Walaupun mereka mengistiharkan bahawa perjuangan mereka adalah Revolusi Neo-Demokratik, ia bukan sahaja tidak melanggar mana-mana undang-undang negara, malah selaras dengan Deklarasi Hak Asasi Manusia Sejagat dan Perjanjian-perjanjian Antarabangsa yang dipersetujui oleh Malaysia. Perkara 13 Deklarasi Hak Asasi Manusia Sejagat: (1) Setiap orang mempunyai hak dan kebebasan untuk bergerak dan bermastautin dalam mana-mana sempadan negara; (2) Setiap orang berhak untuk meninggalkan mana-mana negara termasuk
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negaranya sendiri dan kembali semula ke negaranya. Perkara 14: (1) Setiap orang mempunyai hak untuk memohon dan mendapat perlindungan politik daripada negara lain untuk mengelakkan dari penganiayaan. Perkara 19: Setiap orang mempunyai hak dan kebebasan untuk bersuara dan memberi pendapat; Hak ini termasuklah kebebasan berpegang kepada pendirian tanpa gangguan, kebebasan menuntut, menerima dan menyebarkan maklumat dan buah fikiran melalui manamana medium dan tanpa mengira sempadan. Walaupun tindakan kerajaan BN membatalkan (ataupun merampas) pasport Waytha Moorthy tidak mempunyai asas perundangan yang kukuh, Waytha Moorthy terus berulang-alik di banyak negara untuk meneruskan kerja-kerja yang belum selesai, dengan menggunakan dokumen perjalanan yang dikeluarkan oleh kerajaan British dibawah Konvensyen Mengenai Status Pelarian. Tindakan beliau adalah berpatutan, munasabah dan berdasarkan undang-undang serta mematuhi Konvensyen Antarabangsa yang diikthiraf oleh banyak negara seluruh dunia. Oleh sebab itu, kerajaan BN patut kembalikan pasport Waytha Moorthy dan membenarkan beliau pulang ke negaranya dengan selamat pada 1 Ogos. Kami mengalu-alukan kepulangan pemimpin berwawasan dan berani ini, untuk terus menjalankan perjuangan memelihara maruah dan hak-hak masyarakat India yang terpinggir serta hak dan kesejahteraan masyarakat yang lain, sehingga revolusi neo-demokratik yang diperjuangkan oleh pelbagai kaum membawa hasil.
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