Detainee's wife: I did not say I would sue

The wife of Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee T Vasanthakumar has rebutted a claim that she had prevented the use of her husband’s photo on banners at an anti-ISA forum in Klang last Saturday.

K Vikneswari said this in response to a Malaysiakini report quoting organisers in the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) as saying that “she would sue if we put up her husband’s photo” on one of the banners.

Expressing disappointment over the claim, Vikneswari said that she had “never spoken to any of the coordinators about not putting my husband’s photo on the banners”.

“I am so upset that the report quoted an unnamed source on something that could tarnish my image,” she said when contacted.

The now-banned movement co-organised the forum with opposition party PAS to call for the release of the Hindraf 5 on the first anniversary of their arrest under the tough security law.

'Inference in press statement'

A minor commotion had broken out on the sidelines of the forum, when three individuals claiming to be Hindraf supporters had protested about a banner depicting the movement’s leaders.

It was learnt that the supporters were dissatisfied because the banner showed only four of the detained leaders, together with a photo of self-exiled chairperson P Waythamoorthy.

"Where’s the other photo...? There should be five rather than four (detained leaders)," they had said in fury, referring to organising secretary Vasanthakumar, whose photo was missing.

Coordinator S Jayathas, when contacted, claimed that Vickneswari had made a press statement urging the organisers not to publicise her husband’s photo.

“She made a press statement once in a Tamil paper that she prefers not to have her husband’s photo publicised, so we thought we’d remove it (from the new banners),” he said.

However he also said he hoped the issue will not be blown out of proportion as this could affect the ongoing hunger strike . He said there are still banners depicting all the five leaders.