As the government remains reluctant to condemn alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka except for some murmurs, a group of youths have taken it upon themselves to do what those in power would not.

Though ill-equipped and lacking in numbers, four determined youths took to the streets in Brickfields yesterday evening to make a stand and protest against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's visit to Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting (CHOGM).

brickfields sri lanka protest 170113They held up handwritten placards "War criminal is chairman of Commonwealth" and "Stop oppression against Tamils in Sri Lanka",

"Stop genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka", "(Sri Lanka president Mahinda) Rajapakse is a war criminal", "Najib, shame on you for being quiet", they chanted at the top of their lungs until their voices became coarse.

Protest coordinator R Maha said the protest was through invitation of friends on Facebook, adding that they do not represent any organisation.

In her speech, Maha said MIC was a far cry from the small protest as the party had only managed to make a whimper with no action.

"Malaysian Indians are disappointed (at Najib's visit to Sri Lanka) but MIC can only make a bit of noise, it shows they don't care what Indians think.

NONE"How can they say they represent the Indian community, MIC is a shame," she said.

MIC president G Palanivel (right) had said he would raise the issue with Najib on Friday but the premier had already left the country the previous day.

The four-person stunt quickly attracted onlookers, with some posing for photographs with them, while occasional passing cars honked in support.

Maha claimed that some 140,000 Tamils were killed in 2009 after Sri Lanka waged a war against the Tamil rebels but the world, including Malaysia, chose to remain silent.

"Seventy percent of the Indian population in Malaysia are Tamils but Najib has no concern for Tamil sentiments," she said.

The prime ministers of India and Canada have boycotted the CHOGM in Sri Lanka, citing human rights abuses.