Protesters slam govt's silence over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Over 100 protesters rallied in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur today to condemn the atrocities committed against minority Hindus in Bangladesh.

They also criticised the Malaysian government over its silence in the matter and urged Putrajaya to make a strong statement against the oppression of the Hindus in Bangladesh.

The group, rallied together by 35 NGOs, began protesting at about 10.45am under police watch.

Some of them were seen holding placards with slogans such as “Respect humanity”, “All lives matter” and “Hindu lives matter”.

Among those present were Global Human Rights Federation president S Shashi Kumar and Selangor United for the Rights of Malaysians Party (Urimai) chairperson K Kunasegaran.

Hindus were reportedly subjected to violent attacks soon after Sheikh Hasina resigned as the Bangladeshi prime minister earlier this month. The minority group was seen as supporters of the Awami League party led by Hasina.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim revealed his conversation with Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus, whom Anwar said had given his assurance that the minorities will be protected.

Two days ago, former Klang MP Charles Santiago urged Anwar to make a statement calling for the stop of oppression against Hindus in Bangladesh.

‘Show similar solidarity’

Shashi stressed that they would not be satisfied until the Anwar-led government condemned the atrocities.

He said the prime minister should be fair by showing similar solidarity as he did for Palestinians in their plight against Zionist oppression.

"The prime minister has not made any statement to condemn the attacks. Regardless of whether the victims are Buddhists, Hindus or any other beliefs, heinous acts such as killing, raping and arson should be condemned.

"Malaysia is part of the United Nations Human Rights Council, but until today, the prime minister has not criticised (the atrocities in Bangladesh), unlike what he did for the Palestinians.

"Malaysia and Bangladesh are also part of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and have been working together since 1971, so why didn't Anwar hold any discussion at the OIC level like what had been done for Palestine?

"This is while he has the influence. So, what is Malaysia's position in this matter? What are we trying to show to the minorities inside a multicultural country?" he said when asked to comment on the rally's objectives.

During the protest, three individuals representing the NGOs also submitted a memorandum to a representative of the Bangladesh High Commission.

The police asked the crowd to disperse peacefully around 11.45am.

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