Four years ago today, the nation's uneasy focus was on Kampung Medan , a squatter settlement with a population of about 15,000 people situated along Jalan Kelang Lama, Kuala Lumpur. The unspoken had occurred - racial clashes, the first since May 13, 1969.

Tensions ran high in the area prompting leaders to urge for calm. Police cordoned off the area as the country held its collective breath. The clashes continued for six days but were contained within the settlement.

The official figures were then released - six dead, scores injured with many maimed and permanently disabled. Over the next two months, 177 people were arrested and knives, machetes, folding blades, iron pipes, Molotov cocktails and parangs seized.

Kampung Medan, bruised and battered, gradually got back on its feet and tried to regain some semblance of normalcy.

Today, representatives from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Reformasi Insan Malaysia (Prim) handed over a joint memorandum to Istana Negara urging the King to set up a royal commission of inquiry into the clashes to determine their root cause.

"It's been four years and nothing concrete has come out of (earlier government and police) investigations," Prim pro tem deputy chairperson B Chandran told malaysiakini after handing over the memo to the King's personal secretary Rozainor Ramli .

Present was PKR Youth's vice-chief M Manikavasagam and information deputy chief Badrol Hisham Shaharin.

A clear risk

They said that though numerous other memorandums and reports had been lodged over the incident since March 8, 2001, the government has consistently refused to issue a White Paper on it and has chosen to remain silent.

"The situation may seem calm but the people are unhappy that the issue has not been addressed fully. There is still racial tension (in the country) and if the cause of the clashes are not transparently disclosed, there is a clear risk of them recurring," said Badrol.

Manikavasagam added that the fact that the Royal Police Commission and Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) had refused to look into the incident raised further questions as to whether there was a hidden agenda.

"We only have a simple request to the King. We would like him to initiate an investigation to ascertain the actual root cause of the Kampung Medan clashes," he said adding the King's personal secretary received the memo with a positive response.

"Rozainor met us and he expressed the King's concern with what had happened and said our requests would be discussed at the next Rulers Council meeting," said Manikavasagam. The royal couple are away on a state visit to Japan.

Additional monetary relief

In their memorandum, the two parties urged for a full and transparent investigation into the clashes to determine, among others, the actual number of people who had died, They said based on feedback from residents, the official death figure is believed to be inaccurate .

The memorandum also conveyed a request for additional compensation to the families and victims of the tragedy. It suggested that the government finance the schooling of the victims' children up till tertiary level, reimburse the victims' medical costs and the granting of cash relief.

Meanwhile, the Police Watch and Human Rights Committee, in a letter to the prime minister, demanded that the Malaysian Indian victims and families - who have yet to see any compensation - be 'properly compensated' and not shortchanged.

They also questioned the veracity of government statistics on issues surrounding the event.

"The government hoodwinked the people that this was 'racial clash'. How can it be so when about 99 percent of the casualties were from the ethnic Malaysian Indian minority?" accused its chairperson RN Rajah.

The non-governmental organisation also echoed calls made in the memorandum submitted this morning, regarding an independent commission and government undertaking of the tragedy's non-recurrence.