A rights group and opposition parties today condemned the arrests of three ethnic Indian activists and urged Malaysian police to allow their rally.

The planned protest outside the British High Commission tomorrow is to support a lawsuit against the former colonial power to denounce what they say is the continuing discrimination of Indians in Malaysia.

The lawsuit filed recently seeks US$4 trillion (RM14 trillion) compensation for the estimated two million ethnic Indians whose ancestors were brought over here as labourers by Britain in the 1800s.

Describing the arrests and ban of the protest as being "politically motivated," Aliran, a rights group, said police should allow the rally.

"The people who are proposing to assemble are not rabble-rousers. On the contrary, they appear to be marginalised people who have lost faith in the political process," it said.

All three were offered bail on Friday but one activist refused and vowed to begin a hunger strike in jail.

Cops raising level of tension

Organisers intend to submit a petition to the British mission asking Queen Elizabeth to appoint a lawyer to represent ethnic Indian Malaysians in the lawsuit.

PKR, led by Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, wife of jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, said the police action unnecessarily raised the level of tension, and urged them not to stop the rally.

Ethnic Indians, mainly Tamils, account for eight percent of Malaysia's population. About 80 percent of them are working class and lack skills, money and education.

Forming 60 percent of the nation's 27 million people, ethnic Malay Muslims make up the majority group, while 26 percent are Chinese.