A group of 19 men currently on trial for their alleged involvement in the 2007 Hindraf protests are angered by the lack of legal and welfare funds.

uthayakumar money 290809 victim The men aired their grouses to the movement's adviser P Uthayakumar at his office in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

Met later, some of them said there was an heated argument over the lack of funds that was collected meant for those on trial for their alleged involvement in the street protests.

"We are not Hindraf supporters. I was there (at the protests) to claim my own rights. The funds collected were meant to take care of our well being. But we haven't seen a single cent," said G Suman.

"We asked him (Uthayakumar) to show us the money but he said that he doesn't have it. So we asked for the accounting records. He explained that they did not have the records since no one wants to work on Hindraf's accounts," he added.

Asked on what was the outcome of the meeting, Suman said he was disappointed because Hindraf would only give them RM50 allowance to attend court trials apart from food and lodging allowances.

Uthaya blames Umno, SB

Meanwhile, Uthayakumar blamed Umno and police Special Branch (SB) operatives over this issue.

uthayakumar money 290809 uthaya "This is another clear example of how Umno and the SB are working hand-in-hand to create confusion and disunity among Hindraf members.

"The money is reserved for fines and in case the pro bono lawyers discharge themselves, we'll use it to hire new lawyers," he alleged.

Commenting on the issues raised by the group, he said there was a misunderstanding between an individual known only as 'Raja' who volunteered to disburse the funds and the disgruntled group.

"We have agreed to provide them with RM50 daily allowance. We can't afford more as it is allocated for other legal fees such as fines," he explained.

He said that the matter would be resolved amicably.

Fellow Hindraf activist V Ganabatirau and DAP leaders Sungkai assemblyperson A Sivanesan, and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy have also questioned the alleged misappropriation of funds in Hindraf.

This prompted Hindraf chairperson and Uthayakumar's brother Waythamoorthy to initiate a legal suit against them.

In November 2007, Hindraf mobilised more than 30,000 people to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to highlight the marginalisation of the Indian community.