Human rights in Malaysia

Malaysia

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Malaysia

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The situation of human rights in Malaysia is controversial as there have been numerous allegations of human rights abuses in the country. Human rights groups and foreign governments are generally critical of the Malaysian government and the Royal Malaysian Police. Preventive detention laws such as the Internal Security Act and the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance 1969 allow for detention without trial or charge and as such are a source of concern for human rights organisations like SUARAM.^[1]

In 2009, Malaysia was ranked 131st out of 175 nations by Reporters Without Borders in the Press Freedom Index.

Political controversies

There have been cases of flagellation in prisons and they were confirmed by the authorities.^[2]

In November 2007, two of the largest political rallies since 1998 took place in Kuala Lumpur challenging the government of Abdullah Badawi. The Bersih rally was held on 10 November and the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) rally on 25 November. The Bersih rally was organised by a number of non-governmental organisations and opposition political parties to demand electoral reform in Malaysia and about 50,000 people took to the streets.^[3] The rally was attended by at least 10,000 protesters, mainly ethnic Indian, demanding equal social and economic rights from the Bumiputras.^[4] Tamil politicians in India such as Karunanidhi came out in support of the largely Tamil Indian population by demanding the Indian government take up their matter with their Malaysian counterparts.

In a letter dated 10 December 2007, the internal security ministry banned the Malay-language section of a Catholic weekly newspaper, the Catholic Herald due to its use of the word Allah,^[5] resulting in the Allah Controversy.

Treatment of migrants

Malaysian police on 9 March 2003 rounded up around 27 Indians, including many IT professionals, and allegedly defaced their passports, slapped and kicked several of them before releasing all but five later. This despite their having valid permits to work and live in the country.

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.

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 away.

Infosys Technologies chairman, N R Narayana Murthy, strongly criticised the ill-treatment of Indian IT professionals in Malaysia and asked the government to sort out the issue fast. [1][2]

Caning

A 6 December 2010 Amnesty International report entitled 'A Blow to Humanity' criticises the increasing use of judicial canings in Malaysia and concludes the punishment "subjects thousands of people each year to systematic torture and ill-treatment, leaving them with permanent physical and psychological scars". The report describes the abuse: "In Malaysian prisons specially trained caning officers tear into victims’ bodies with a metre-long cane swung with both hands at high speed. The cane rips into the victim’s naked skin, pulps the fatty tissue below, and leaves scars that extend to muscle fibre. The pain is so severe that victims often lose consciousness."^[6]

Allegations of racism

Main article: Ketuanan Melayu

NGO's

See also

Human rights portal

Malaysia portal

• Internal Security Act (Malaysia)

References

1. ^ "COUNTRY PROFILE: MALAYSIA". Federal Research Division (Library of Congress). http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Malaysia.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-24. 
2. ^ 'Blut'-Video: Malaysia streitet über Prügelstrafe - Politik - stern.de
3. ^ "Teargas used on rare Malaysia demo". CNN. 2007-11-10. http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/10/malaysia.protests/index.html. Retrieved 2007-12-08. 
4. ^ Zappei, Julia (2007-12-26). "Ethnic Indian protesters clash with Malaysian police". London: The Independent. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article3196266.ece. Retrieved 2007-12-08. 
5. ^ Company News Story
6. ^ http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/malaysia-torture-practiced-systematically-widespread-caning-2010-12-06

External links

• Review of Malaysia by the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review, February 11, 2009
• Home for Human Rights
• Censorship in Malaysia - IFEX
• case studies relating to human rights violations in Malaysia especially with regard to police abuse and custodial deaths
• Malaysia: Human rights undermined: Restrictive laws in a parliamentary democracy - Amnesty International