Eighteen activists from the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) went on a hunger strike today to commemorate the second anniversary of the movement's street protest in Kuala Lumpur.

NONE About two dozen supporters gathered in front of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) shopping mall this morning.

Led by S Jayathas, the supporters and hunger-strikers arrived about 9.10am. Sixteen were in orange Hindraf t-shirts, and most wore anti-ISA badges.

The hunger strike continued up to 4pm, after which they left for Putrajaya to deliver a letter containing 18 demands to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"Malaysia is the most racist country in the region (when it comes to treatment of Indians). There are no opportunities for Indians in the mainstream - in education, jobs, the civil service or business opportunities," Jayathas told reporters earlier.

"Most Indians are among the hardcore poor. Nobody is doing anything to address their needs...there is no guidance or opportunities for the Indians, so many turn to crime."

NONE Referring to premier Najib's 1Malaysia slogan, he said this is a lie as the government has not delivered on its promises.

He gave the example of UiTM which is reserved for bumiputera students, but which has enrolled foreign Muslim students.

"So, foreign Muslim students are treated better then Indians?" Jayathas posed rhetorically.

"Indians are capable people. We used to form the bulk of the civil service. The first navy chief was an Indian. We are Malaysians too. We want to serve the country. But we are being denied the opportunity. We will continue to fight for our rights, but it is a peaceful fight."

Among those participating in the hunger strike was T Samy, 32, who said he joined the group to highlight the "sufferings" of the community.

"The government should open their ears to the Indians' plight. Treat us fairly," said the engineer from Klang, Selangor.

Monitoring by police

Outside KLCC, a 24-strong police squad was deployed to monitor the gathering, along with a police truck and several police cruisers from the Dang Wangi station.

NONE The KLCC management, which placed its own security personnel on standby, requested the group not to sit on the pavement at the entrance to the building, as this would disrupt traffic flow and business.

The group agreed but the police then told them to disperse, saying they were involved in an illegal gathering.

Jayathas, refusing to end the hunger strike, split the group into batches of four to continue their vigil.

He told the police and Hindraf supporters that, since an illegal gathering is defined as a gathering of four or more, the smaller groups would continue with the hunger strike.

NONE A slight altercation ensued when two police personnel questioned several hunger-strikers who were still seated at the side of the KLCC entrance, despite the instructions to move.

Matters almost came to blows as one officer described the Hindraf members as kurang ajar (ill-mannered) because they did not stand when talking to the police.

An agitated Hindraf member faced down the police personnel over the insult. However, cooler heads prevailed to end the conflict.

The hunger-strikers explained that the KLCC security guards had permitted them to occupy the area, so long as they did not obstruct the entrance. As for not standing up, they said they were "tired and hungry" and could not stand for long periods at a time.

Children with roses

At 1.18pm, 18 children arrived accompanied by Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar. Also present was ex-ISA Hindraf detainee M Manoharan. They presented each hunger-striker with a single long-stem rose. The group chanted prayers and shouted out the Hindraf slogan before leaving for Putrajaya.

NONE At a brief press conference, Uthayakumar highlighted the "atrocities of the government", mentioning the death of five suspected Indian criminals in a police shootout and the subsequent suicide of the sister of one of the victims.

He criticized the government for not giving enough opportunities to Indians to receive scholarships.

"Out of the RM2 billion allocated for scholarships, Indians only get a token of one or two scholarships. Yet the government is like ayam bertelur sebiji, riuh sekampung (making much ado about nothing)," he said.

NONE In Putrajaya, Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorty's daughter Vaishnavi and wife K Shanti attempted to hand over a letter containing the 18 demands at the Prime Minister's Office.

They arrived about 2.45pm but ran into a stand-off with a representative of the premier's office.

The group wanted the premier's representative to come out and meet them. Instead, five Hindraf representatives were invited into the office to deliver the letter.

After 45 minutes, the group left the letter at the doorstep and dispersed, watched by a small team of police personnel.

No more memo to the PM

A frustrated Uthayakumar said this may be the last time he will submit a memorandum to the prime minister.

"We came to see the prime minister but they do not even want to come down to meet us. I do not think BN is going to change. This leaves us to go away with a feeling that power has still got the better of them.

"So far, the prime minister has never called for a dialogue with us," he said.

Uthayakumar said the movement - which was banned last October - has extended a formal invitation to Najib to attend an open dialogue to discuss the 18 demands and to work towards solving the community's woes.

NONE "We just want to be treated like any other Malaysian. The PM must make an urgent decision to address this issue or we will continue this fight," said Uthayakumar.

Hindraf also wants to see what Najib will do to address its demands which went "largely ignored by the previous prime minister".

Uthayakumar was one of five leaders detained under the Internal Security Act for mobilising the massive street protest on Nov 25, 2007, that made Hindraf a household name.

[With additional reporting by Yip Ai Tsin]