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Ethnic Indians face murder trial

Five ethnic Indians in Malaysia were charged yesterday with attempted murder, raising to 31 the number of people facing the harshest possible charge in connection with an injury to a policeman during a rally against racial discrimination.

The five men were produced in a sessions court along with the 26 others who were charged on Tuesday with attempted murder. Prosecutors accused the 31 of causing a head injury to the policeman during the banned demonstration on Nov. 25 near a Hindu Indian temple.

Defense lawyers condemned the charge as a violation of the constitutional right to "worship and assemble" and urged the court to throw out the case against the men, who face up to 20 years in jail.

"This is the first time in history of Malaysia that an unlawful assembly has been charged with attempted murder," defense lawyer V.K. Ganesan said.

"This is not healthy," he said. "The nature of the charge ... is an overt threat to any right thinking member of society to their constitutional right to worship and assemble."

They were also charged with damaging public property and illegal assembly, while some were charged with rioting. All pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Ganesan said 500 policemen deployed in the area locked the temple gates and fired tear gas and water cannon into the crowd. He alleged that police went into the temple and beat up worshippers.

"If anything it is the police who should have been charged with attempted murder. It's vindictive and malicious prosecution. It is racially and politically motivated against the Indians," he said.

He said the accused did not know the injured policeman personally and therefore could not have intended to murder him.
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