Malaysia moves to preserve Hindu temples*

Monday, December 24, 2007; 6:20 AM

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia vowed to preserve Hindu temples on
Monday in a bid to calm ethnic Indians who complain that their places of
worship have been torn down as part of racial discrimination.

More than 10,000 ethnic Indians took to the streets in an unprecedented
anti-government protest last month, demanding better education and job
opportunities and an end to state demolition of temples.

"I will scrutinize all matters concerning temples with a view to ensure
no temples are demolished in the future," Works Minister S. Samy Vellu,
the only ethnic Indian minister in the cabinet said in a statement.

"And if they have to be demolished, suitable alternative sites must be
allocated so that Hindus can continue to worship," he said, adding that
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had ordered him to monitor the
temples nationwide.

Hindu activists say one temple had been pulled down every three weeks on
average. Authorities deem temples built without permission as illegal
structures.

Around seven percent of Malaysia's 26 million people are ethnic Indians,
whose forefathers were brought to the Southeast Asian country as
laborers by British colonial rulers.

Many in the community complain of racial discrimination, accusing the
government of trying to wipe out their culture by imposing Islamic laws
and targeting Hindu temples.

Following last month's mass protest, which prompted India's prime
minister to voice sympathy for the plight of ethnic Indians, Malaysia
arrested five Hindu activists under a tough security law that allows
indefinite detention without trial.

The government denies it is mistreating Indians.

(Reporting by Jalil Hamid, Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)