Indians roughed up by Malaysian cops

We’ve heard a lot about treatment of Pakistani’s in the US in recent times. Now look at Malaysia! Why do you think they’re doing this to people with perfectly good visa?

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/mar10/i6.asp

Indians roughed up by Malaysian cops

Malaysian police today rounded up around 270 Indians, including many IT professionals, and allegedly defaced their passports, slapped and kicked several of them before releasing all but five later.

Police carried out a dawn swoop in search of illegal immigrants on one high-rise apartment building in the ethnic Indian dominated neighbourhood of Brickfields in central Kuala Lumpur. “There were around 270 of us, and we have already got the signatures of 178, and we’ll get the rest by tomorrow,” said Dilip, an IT professional, who presented a petition to the Indian High Commission on behalf of all those detained after being released tonight.

A Malaysian police officer had earlier told PTI that some 164 Indians had been picked up from the raid on one building adding they were released following the intervention of Indian High Commission and proof that they had valid visas.

Some showed they were working for companies registered in Malaysia’s Multi-media Super Corridor, the information technology project zone running from Kuala Lumpur to the new development of Cyberjaya, some 45 minutes’ drive, he said.

“This has been a black day for all of us,” Indian High Commissioner Veena Sikri said addressing the detainees after their release. "We have taken the matter to the highest authority, and we will get to the bottom of the issue.

Police initially denied Indian officials access to the detained Indian nationals, but later relented. Several Indians taken into custody showed PTI their passports, pointing out that their visas had been scratched. A Malaysian immigration official, who verified the defaced visas, said the individuals and their employers would have to apply to his department for a fresh visa.

The detainees recounted how police burst into their homes and herded them to a nearby police station, from where some were taken to jail. “We were handcuffed and made to kneel or sit in the police station car park, some of us were slapped and kicked,” said Nagaraju Cheekoti, another IT professional working for WWI Malaysia.

Some said they were ordered to do sit-ups, while others said they were stripped to their underwear, slapped and kicked inside the station. Police confiscated their cellphones and refused to give them access to telephones.
Police officials at the Brickfields station refused to speak to PTI. “We don’t want to stay in this country if we are treated like this. We have come here at the invitation of Malaysian companies,” said one of the detainees to a chorus of approval from other detainees. “We don’t feel safe,” he said.

Most of the detainees were men from Andhra Pradesh. A couple of women were also taken into custody, but they were not handcuffed. One group said they were just visiting friends in Kuala Lumpur, after making the short trip from next-door Singapore

I suppose the Malaysian police were just doing their jobs. Illegal immigrants are a real problem over there and swoops like this are commonplace. I think the sit-ups were a bit much though, but afterall who wants an unfit immigrant workforce.

the situps not the defaced visas were the real humiliation.. i can't for the life of me imagine indian IT 'professionals' doing more than three situps without having an abdominal hernia

Thats plain and simple abuse. I am certain had it been someone you know or yourself, it would not be that funny anymore.

It would especially suck for people who were there legally to begin with. Sometimes lawsuits and lawyers are a good deal. dunno if its possible there.

Perhaps I should provide a bit more context. Malaysia has been trying like heck to build a IT offshoring business and obviously they compete with India. Not very successful because a) they don't have enough qualified people and b) their costs are much much higher compared to India. So some creative Malaysian companies are running the business by getting people from....INDIA! And that's a profitable business and most people I know want Indians to come there for their projects. Guess it made someone in power quite angry, this export oriented business of theirs that depends on Indians

Turns out there are some Pakistanis also taken in. Wonder if he Pakistan government also protested formally.

Following strong protests by India, Malaysia on Tuesday said it would investigate the “allegations” of detention and maltreatment of about 270 Indians, including IT professionals, by its police.

“We have received the protest from the Indian government. There are a number of serious allegations of abuse of power and wrongdoing as well as mistreatment made against the police,” Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said in the lobby of the Malaysian parliament.

“We take such complaints very seriously and we will investigate the matter in a transparent manner and let the Indian government know the outcome of this investigation,” Albar said.

He said it was not that the police wanted to raid Indian nationals. “It is an ongoing exercise to eliminate illegals in our country.”

Albar said as per the records, the police had arrested 165 people on Sunday – Indian and other nationals – and all but six Indians and three Pakistanis were released.

He said the police had acted on a tip-off that there were illegals staying in the Palm Court Condominiums. “In performing their legitimate duties they went to their apartments and asked for their documents… many of them did not possess documents and those who did were immediately released.”

Ooops the Pakistanis did it again…

Ooops the Pakistanis did it again…
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_212252,0003.htm

Suspecting the role of pro-Pakistan elements in the Sunday morning raids on Indians techies in Kuala Lumpur, India is preparing to hit Malaysia where it hurts most.
For starters, the Foreign Office is planning to reschedule and cancel all bilateral visits while grounding the extra slots given to Malaysian Airlines. Impact: the Malaysian tourism industry, which gets a sizeable chunk of its earnings from India, will lose tourist traffic originating from here.

^ not only that.Believe it or not Malaysia's #1 strategic economic plan is to grow as an IT services hub and the only way they can do that is with people from India or China. Chinese are ok for their local and Japanese business but WIthout India they have no hopes of succeeding in the uS and probably EU. In other words they've bitten the hand that feed them!

Theres plenty of IT graduates in other third world countries, India is just one of many nations with IT expertise. Im sure the Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis will help in filling the skills gap in Malaysia. :k:

^ Not anywhere near in quality or quantity. You think the Malaysians don't know that? Also remember there are strong ties between Malaysia and China and Malaysia and India (rouhly a 3rd of Malaysian population is Indian origin I think and same goes for Chinese).

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by aravamudhan: *
^ Not anywhere near in quality or quantity. You think the Malaysians don't know that?
[/QUOTE]
lol!! I disagree with your assumption that other Asian countries do not produce graduates of similar calibre as the Indians.. in fact im sure some of these graduates are probably more knowledgeable within certain IT sectors compared to their Indian counterparts.

Don’t exaggerate and tell blatant falsehoods. This is the actual ethnic composition of Malaysia:-

Malay and other indigenous 58%,
Chinese 24%,
Indian 8%,
others 10%

http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/my.html#People

btw, those ‘Indians’ are of Indian heritage i.e. having lived in Malaysia for over a hundred years - well before India ever became an independent country.

Let me try a face saving strategy here:

Ahem! Chinese = 24% Indian = 8%; Chinese + Indian = 32% - close to enought to a third? If you buy this then let's talk about the brooklyn bridge.

The point is there's a large %age of Indians and Chinese and these maintain tight affinity with their homeland businesses. I've heard from those in this business in Kuala Lumpur that except the Japanese market, Indians are literally SOUGHT after. He was pissed because he is Chinese, and his EU customer told him he has to get people from Bangalore for his project.

On the other hand, the Japanese have a slight preference for Chinese (again I heard this, not my 1st hand experience). According to the same Chinese biz.man friend from K.L, this is due to some 50 to 70% cross-readability of written communications.

Why don’t you try to save any face you have left and just admit you made a mistake. Everyone has read your words - rouhly a 3rd of Malaysian population is Indian origin I think and same goes for Chinese.

:rolleyes:

^ subtelity not your cuppa tea? Awright, I admit a mistake. Happy! :p

[QUOTE]
Originally posted by aravamudhan:
Awright, I admit a mistake.
[/QUOTE]

Yes a very BIG mistake.