The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has urged Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan to allow the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) gathering to proceed on Sunday.

The Maryland-based human rights group said Malaysian police should stop the campaign of intimidation and threat against Malaysian Hindus.

"The Malaysian government restricts freedom of peaceful assembly and association in contrary to Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, and the application (for a permit) has been arbitrarily rejected by the police," it noted.

The thousands expected at the rally on Sunday will be forced to assemble illegally at the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur if their appeal to KL police chief Zul Hasnan Najib Baharuddin for a permit is rejected.

Cheras police chief Ahmad Amir Mohd Hashim rejected the initial application on grounds that it had been made by an individual, rather than by the organisation.

Under Section 27 of the Police Act 1967, any application for a permit to assemble in a public place must made by an organisation or jointly by three individuals.

The police also stated their doubt as to whether the applicant would be able to control the crowd, and claimed that the gathering could disrupt traffic as well as law and order.

The gathering is expected to attract 10,000 people to hand over a petition to the Queen of England to support a class-action suit against the British government for bringing Indians to Malaysia as indentured labourers and exploiting them for 150 years.

The quantum being sought is US$4 trillion (RM14 trillion) - or US$2 million for every Indian currently residing in Malaysia.

'Stop temple demolitions'

HAF has also urged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to issue orders to stop temple demolitions and to set up a high-level committee to deal with issues relating to land occupied by such structures.

"We note that the Hindu population has faced increased discrimination and intimidation including the destruction of temples and placed of worship in the past," HAF said in the same statement.

"The government has continued to treat pre-independence era Hindu temples differently than mosques in the same era and has given preference to mosques in the allocation of public funds and lands."

HAF was referring to the demolition of the century-old Maha Mariamman temple in Padang Jawa, Selangor, on Oct 30, by the Shah Alam City Council. This was part of an exercise to tear down a squatter colony in Kampung Rimba Jaya.

A violent stand off ensued when Hindu devotees tried to stop the demolition, resulting in 14 devotees being arrested. They were later released, while the state government has identified an alternate site to rebuild the temple.

This was the latest in a series of temple demolitions by the Selangor government, causing much frustration and a sense of dejection among the Indian Malaysian community.