Indian interference in Malaysia = Tamil Harimau?

In Malaysiakini today, the news article screams a call made by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, yes that one in India, to the Indian PM to Act against 'sufferings' in Malaysia.

I hope Malaysiakini won’t mind me producing its article in full here (those who don’t have subscription at Malaysiakini yet, and want good reliable news, well, what are you waiting for?)

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Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been urged to take immediate action concerning the state of the Indians in Malaysia.

The premier’s intervention was sought by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and other politicians in the state following the mass rally held on Nov 25 in Kuala Lumpur.

According to the Hindu newspaper, Karunanidhi wrote to Manmohan on Tuesday asking him to employ the necessary measures regarding the “sufferings and bad treatment” of Tamils in Malaysia.

Karunanidhi said the people of Tamil Nadu were disturbed over the happenings in Kuala Lumpur.

The daily reported that he also conveyed their concern over the treatment being meted out to the Tamils living in Malaysia for a very long period of time.

On Sunday, some 30,000 Indian Malaysians took to the streets in a protest organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

[...]

Meanwhile, another Tamil Nadu politician and popular actor Vijayakant also called on the Indian prime minister to act on this issue.

In a news report, Vijayakant, who is the founder leader of the DMDK party, said: "The Tamils were taken there 200 years ago by the then British rulers to work in the plantation fields but the way police dispersed them by firing tear gas showed that the Malaysian government is still treating them as slaves.

He alleged that Malaysia was "becoming a Sri Lanka" where the government "sidelined Tamils from all government departments".

He warned that ignorance by India to intervene in this issue could create a situation similar to that of Sri Lanka, which is gripped by ethnic strife. "What started as a spark, is now burning all over Sri Lanka," he said.

The Nov 25 rally received widespread coverage in the Indian as well as international media. The event was reported, among others, in the UK, US, China, Taiwan, Australia and the Philippines.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's warning that the government could invoke the Internal Security Act (ISA) against the protestors has also received wide media coverage.

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Now, we are lucky that those seditious words of Tamil insurrection a la the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, were mentioned by a foreigner, Tamil Nadu politician and actor Vijayakant.

Additionally, and more ominously, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi of Tamil Nadu also chipped in his two rupees worth of parochialism, by urging the Indian PM to employ the 'necessary measures' regarding the sufferings and bad treatment of Tamils in Malaysia.

What ‘necessary measures’ did he have in mind?

I have supported Hindraf’s rally and campaign of highlighting Indian Malaysians’ plight of their miserable marginalization and abject poverty – a situation that was brought about by a combination of years of government neglect and the pathetic performance of local Indian politicians who claim to represent Indian Malaysians.

But I resent such interference in Malaysian affairs by any foreign politicians or government officials. Last I heard, India is still a foreign country.

Let's examine the worrying factors of such alien interference.

For a start, any intrusion by India, whether political or by other means, has grave implications because of the ethnic association, and the openly voiced suggestion by a foreigner that Malaysia could face the consequences of a possible Tamil insurrection. This was compounded by a high level suggestion for India to take ‘necessary measures’.

These are provocative interference in Malaysian affairs. At the same time, I have read of Malaysia's (or rather one of its State's) gross interference in the insurrection in Southern Philippines years ago. Aiyoyo, what goes around may frighteningly come around, so I'll keep my mouth shut about Southern Thailand.

Tamil Nadu has always been a spiritual home for Tamil Malaysians. If we were to dig into our news archives I believe we would be able to obtain a report showing that some years ago, the MIC leaders, who were fighting each other here in Malaysia took a trip together to Chennai (Madras) to resolve their differences, presumably in a 'Camp David' style retreat.

I wonder whether the CM of that Indian State then, played host like successive American Presidents have done at the Camp David retreat?

Surprisingly, UMNO then didn't make any noise over the Chennai Camp David affair. Can you imagine what would have happened if the MCA's Camps A and B were to seek such a 'retreat' in Beijing or Taipei to solve their internal strife?

Beijing or Taipei? Hahaha, even a gathering in a Kuala Lumpour temple was enough to launch Ops Lallang where a few of the Chinese political, educational and NGO leaders, who had the temerity to 'reenact a gathering at Shaolin Tze', were escorted to a secluded but enclosed camp and 'persuaded' to spent two years in contemplative meditation - of course with 'free board and food' thrown in by our kind hearted and hospitable Internal Security Minister. Please read my previosu post MCA or DAP - the Chinese dilemma.

But those Tamil Nadu voices are far more serious.

Indian Intelligence, the highly secretive and powerful Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), India's (far more competent) equivalent of the CIA, has a legendary record of mischiefs.

There were press reports (or speculations) that, at one time, RAW had attempted to interfere with Fijian internal affairs by sending arms to the Indians of Fiji, but fortunately, something or someone intervened to stop that.

However, what is known is that RAW was successful in its executed programmes in creating Bangladesh through the splitting up of Pakistan, annexing Sikkim as India’s 22nd State, and turning Bhutan into a virtual vassal State with a pro-India puppet government.

In 1988 RAW was reported to have orchestrated a coup in Maldives by 300 to 400 strong well-trained well-armed force of mercenaries, initially said to be of unknown origin. Those mercenaries resorted to indiscriminate shooting and took high-level government officials hostage.

Then ... ahem ...India reacted promptly by sending the Army (paratroopers), Navy and Air Force to rescue the Maldives government and restore order.

The news article said: But the international community, however, viewed with suspicion the overall concept and motives of the operation. Although the apparent identification of two Maldivian nationals among the mercenaries, at face value, link it with previous such attempts, other converging factors indicative of external involvement could hardly be ignored.

That the mercenaries sailed from Manar and Kankasanturai in Sri Lanka, which were in complete control of the Indian Peacekeeping Force, and the timing and speed of India's intervention proved its involvement beyond any doubt.

Now, this bit by Wikipedia about RAW is scary. It states that RAW started training the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers (LTTE) to keep a check on Sri Lanka, which had helped Pakistan in the Indo-Pak War by allowing Pakistani ships to refuel at Sri Lankan ports.

However, it created a monster in the Tigers which went out of control, forcing Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi to send Indian Peace Keeping Force to restore normalcy in the region. Rajiv was eventually assassinated by a Tiger sympathizer.

Would a Malaysian Tamil Harimau be a 'necessary measure'?