The media, opposition parties and civil society group are under fire for not highlighting cases of alleged police abuse suffered by victims of Indian origin.

The Police Watch and Human Rights Committee (PWHRC) said that such groups do not see "press worthiness" or "mileage" gained from highlighting such cases.

In contrast, the PWHRC laments that cases of alleged police abuse cases involving 'majoritarian Malays' or the 'economically powerful Chinese' would easily receive widespread attention from the same parties.

These damning allegations were made in the committee's 106-page report entitled - 'Malaysian Police Report Card 2005'. (for full report, click here ).

Pin-drop silence

The report cites the example of an Indian national who was jailed for immigrations offenses immediately after lodging a police report alleging that she was gang raped by five men.

"This insensitivity from the authorities had not been made better by the 'pin-drop silence' from almost all opposition parties, civil society groups and the media," read the report.

To compound matters further, PWHRC estimates that 60 percent of alleged police abuse victims are from Indian Malaysians, who form only eight percent of the nation's population.

Often, such victims cannot afford legal representation nor bail. Pleading guilty is then the most "practical" solution for their predicament, said the report.

"They may not be guilty, but instead, victims of circumstances. But they might eventually 'graduate' as hard core criminals after serving prison sentences among real criminals," added the report.

Alleviate proverty

As such, the PWHRC are appealing to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in his capacity as Internal Security Minister to direct the media to not practice "selective coverage" of human rights violation based on ethnicity or nationality.

"The Indian Malaysian community who have been most affected by this selective reporting would like the rest of society to also have justice served to them," continued the report.

The report also called for affirmative action programmes to alleviate poverty among the Indian community to tackle crime and gangsterism.

According to PWHRC legal advisor, P Uthayakumar, copies of the report have been received by the Prime Minister's Department, Internal Security Ministry, the Education Ministry on behalf of Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Tun Hussien, national police headquarters and the Attorney-General's chambers.

Acknowledgments of receipts by all six bodies were made available to malaysiakini .