Malaysian police break up ethnic Indian rally

MALAYSIA: Malaysian police fired tear gas and water cannons to break up a rally by about 200 ethnic Indians, some carrying roses to symbolize their peaceful demand for racial equality.

The crackdown in Kuala Lumpur Saturday came ahead of March 8 general elections and was likely to further alienate Malaysia's minority ethnic Indians, who have long complained of racial discrimination in this country that has an ethnic Malay Muslim majority.

Police detained 124 people at the rally, said Kuala Lumpur police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman. Nine people would be charged with taking part in an illegal assembly but the rest were released, he said.

Those detained ignored a police order to disperse and did have a permit to hold the assembly, Muhammad said in a statement issued to the national news agency Bernama.

Kuala lumpur, Sunday, AP