6-year-old girl among 11 Hindraf leaders detained by police

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 - The six year old daughter of exiled Hindraf leader, P Waythamoorthy, P Vwaishhnnavi, was detained by the police today along with 11 others who came to Putrajaya to submit a letter to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi demanding the release of the five Hindraf leaders currently held under the ISA.

Those arrested include S. Jayathas and Waythamoorthy's wife, K. Shanti.

When contacted, Shanti said, they were taken to the Putrajaya district police headquarters as they were trying to submit a letter to the Prime Minister, handwritten by her daughter.

"They have not told us why we were arrested," she told The Malaysian Insider by phone from inside the police station..

In an immediate reaction, Kapar MP S. Manickavasagam, said the arrest shows that the government has not learned the lesson from the March 8 General Election and it only makes Abdullah look bad.

"They went as normal citizens," said Manickavasagam, when asked whether the arrest was related to the government's action to ban Hindraf.

Hindraf, an unregistered organization fighting for the betterment of the Indian community in the country was banned on Oct 15 for allegedly posing a threat to public order.

Manickavagam told The Malaysian Insider that he is still unsure of the reason behind the arrest but said he is in the process of getting lawyers to defend them.