Malaysia’s richest state calls security council, PM Mahathir denies racial element as violence rages
- Clashes near Hindu temple have been linked to dispute with developer who acquired the land on which it is situated
- Experts say state institutions must halt violence and uphold justice to avoid leaving wounds in specific ethnic communities
The clashes near a Hindu temple in the state of Selangor have been linked to a dispute between the 147-year-old institution and a developer who claimed to have acquired the land for RM1.5 million, although it is unclear to whom the proceeds were channelled.
The temple, slated to be relocated to a new site 2.7km away on Monday, was stormed by 50 masked, machete-wielding men who attacked devotees, including senior citizens and women. About 20 vehicles were damaged or set alight before the Federal Reserve Unit and police forces arrived on the scene. Several devotees were injured in the attack.
Following the attack, thousands of people gathered outside the temple last night to show support and ostensibly defend the temple, a gathering which also turned violent as emergency service staff were attacked – landing one firefighter in the intensive care unit – and the developer, One City Development, had its office vandalised.
In his statement, Mahathir emphasised that the altercations were “not race riots, although it involved the relocation of a temple”.
Hindus in Malaysia are primarily composed of ethnic-minority Indians.
The premier warned that the police were under strict instructions to bring the situation under control and act against “irresponsible people who caused disturbances which resulted in injuries to enforcement and rescue personnel, alongside damaging public property … I stress that this incident is a criminal matter, and has no relation at all to other elements”.
