British-based Lawyer Suresh Grover said he was shocked by what he has
seen during his fact-finding mission on marginalised Indians in the country.“I have to say, as someone who has been
involved in legal cases in the last 30 years and I've travelled quite widely
across the world - I've worked closely with victims of apartheid and native
Indians in the US - but what I have witnessed in the last week has appalled me
and shocked me,” he said.
At a press conference in Bangsar today, Grover ,who arrived last Friday, said he had travelled extensively throughout the country and witnessed the predicament of ethnic Indians here.“I have met with individuals who have lived in abject poverty since independence, their status has not changed, they remain marginalised, their children do not have a future.
“Despite their large numbers and what would be considered as shocking living conditions, which is worse than in some parts of the world, there is nothing in their future that will change that situation unless their grievances are addressed,” he said.He has spent the last five days visiting Indian settlements in Kuala Lumpur and several states including Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Penang in preparation for a class action suit filed by Hindraf chief P Waythamoorthy against the British crown and government in Britain.
The British government is accused of being negligent for failing to accord proper protection for ethnic Indians, who were brought in as labourers, after withdrawing from then-Malaya.However, Grover was left to the job alone after his partner, Imran Khan, who is also the solicitor for Waythamoorthy, was deported on arrival in the country.
Suit date to be decided within six months
Grover was coy about the number of claimants that will be in the suit but stressed that the key would be quality over quantity.“There has been a claim against the British government recently heard in court... It is about five claimants in the period before Kenya became independent. A suit had been claimed alleging that the British government was responsible for the unlawful detention and torture of these individuals. “It was heard in court in April this year and the judgment came out in July for the claimants against the British government. And there are similarities in the legal arms that we have developed. So they only had only five claimants,” he said.
The lawyer also denied that the suit will be refiled, clarifying that the one filed in 2007 was in a draft form and the team will decide on when to file the full suit after six months.Grover has served in several civil rights cases and is the chairperson of the National Civil Rights Movement in Britain. He is also the director of the Monitoring Group, an organisation that focuses on the eradication of racism, bigotry and religious hatred.
At a press conference in Bangsar today, Grover ,who arrived last Friday, said he had travelled extensively throughout the country and witnessed the predicament of ethnic Indians here.“I have met with individuals who have lived in abject poverty since independence, their status has not changed, they remain marginalised, their children do not have a future.
“Despite their large numbers and what would be considered as shocking living conditions, which is worse than in some parts of the world, there is nothing in their future that will change that situation unless their grievances are addressed,” he said.He has spent the last five days visiting Indian settlements in Kuala Lumpur and several states including Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Penang in preparation for a class action suit filed by Hindraf chief P Waythamoorthy against the British crown and government in Britain.
The British government is accused of being negligent for failing to accord proper protection for ethnic Indians, who were brought in as labourers, after withdrawing from then-Malaya.However, Grover was left to the job alone after his partner, Imran Khan, who is also the solicitor for Waythamoorthy, was deported on arrival in the country.
Suit date to be decided within six months
Grover was coy about the number of claimants that will be in the suit but stressed that the key would be quality over quantity.“There has been a claim against the British government recently heard in court... It is about five claimants in the period before Kenya became independent. A suit had been claimed alleging that the British government was responsible for the unlawful detention and torture of these individuals. “It was heard in court in April this year and the judgment came out in July for the claimants against the British government. And there are similarities in the legal arms that we have developed. So they only had only five claimants,” he said.
The lawyer also denied that the suit will be refiled, clarifying that the one filed in 2007 was in a draft form and the team will decide on when to file the full suit after six months.Grover has served in several civil rights cases and is the chairperson of the National Civil Rights Movement in Britain. He is also the director of the Monitoring Group, an organisation that focuses on the eradication of racism, bigotry and religious hatred.
Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/173264
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