Tag: hindu

PAP Members Alleged Indian Man Arrested In Thaipusam Fracas Insulted Islam

Today’s Straits Times report on the arrest of the three Indians involved in the scuffle during Thaipusam stated that one of the Indians “insulted the police officer’s religion, Islam” during the confrontation.

This had been denied by the Indian in his account of what happened. The Indian man said that he just asked the officer why Muslims are allowed to play their kompang drums whereas Hindus cannot play their urumi on Thaipusam.

PAP members online tried to play up this ‘against Islam’ version to try and get netizens to condemn the men who were arrested. They raised the boogeyman of the 1964 race riots and tried to say that the officers had prevented a race riot.

On the FAP page, PAP member Daniel Tan Boon Huat (Woodgrove branch) harassed Indian Singaporeans and asked if they wanted to get arrested too:

Another PAP member, Johari Bin Mohamed Rais who serves in Aljunied GRC with Victor lye further tried to instigate tensions between Hindus and Muslims:

There is an effort to portray the three Indians as people who insulted Islam to prevent sinkies from uniting against the PAP in this Thaipusam incident. Divide and conquer strategy.

Hope sinkies stay united and not fall for this.

Btw, this is PAP member Daniel Tan Boon Huat who harassed local Indians and threatened them with arrest:

Source: www.therealsingapore.com

February 9, 2015
3 Singaporeans Charged In Court For Disorderly Behaviour And Attacking Police Officers

Three Singaporean men were charged in court on Saturday morning for disorderly behavior and attacking police officers at a Thaipusam event held earlier in the week.

Ramachandra Chandramohan, 32, was alleged to have punched, kicked and verbally abused four police officers. He was also charged with disorderly behavior and faces seven charges in total, the highest number among the trio.

Jaya Kumar Krishnasamy, 28, faces three charges. He was charged with disorderly behavior, allegedly hurling vulgarities at a police officer and obstructing another police officer from carrying out his duties.

Gunasegaran Rajendran, 33, faces a disorderly behavior charge and is alleged to have abused a police officer.

The trio were calm and emotionless when their charges were read to them in court through an interpreter.

They were accompanied to court by four family members and friends. It is unclear how they are related, but one family member who declined to be named said that the three men are cousins.

The three men were part of a group which hired drummers in the Thaipusam procession. The drummers were asked to stop playing by the police and a scuffle broke out.

A video of the scuffle was posted online and it sparked online outcry, with some members of the public asking why is music banned at Thaipusam while lion dances and Malay wedding music are allowed in public.

Responding, Second Minister for Home Affairs S. Iswaran said on Thursday that the ban on music instruments applied to all foot processions, including religious events, since 1973.

Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam also said on Friday that lion dances and Malay wedding music are social events, not religious processions. He added that only Hindus are allowed to hold religious foot processions and urged the public to back police’s actions at the Thaipusam event.

The trio are on police bail and their cases will be heard in court again on March 6. If convicted, they face maximum jail sentences of between three months and seven years, maximum fines of between $2,000 and $5,000, or both.

Ramachandra Chandramohan is also liable to be caned if convicted of attacking police officers.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

February 8, 2015
Thaipusam Incident – My Side Of The Story

Dear everyone,

For the past three days, there had been various reports, news & articles with regards to the 3 men arrested for the incident that happened at Thaipusam 2015. I am one of the 3 men who were arrested at the incident. This post would be my part of the story, not to justify what I have done, but to let the public know my point of view.

My cousin brother was one of the kavadi bearers in Thaipusam. The first time we were approached was at the Perumal temple by the temple officials. They ordered the “Urumi group” boys who were playing the “Thavil(indian traditional instrument)” to stop playing the music. We seeked their cooperation and understanding to allow the boys to play the thavil while he was piercing the 108 spikes, this was so that he can be distracted from the pain. My brother was carrying a traditional kavadi which weighed roughly about 100kg, therefore he needed to be distracted from the pain as well as the piercings. However, the temple officials were adamant about not letting the urumi boys play while he was piercing. When we asked why they could not let the boys play, they replied that these were regulations set by the SPF, and that they were merely following SPF’s orders. We then abided to their rules and regulations and asked the Urumi boys to stop the music.

We then left the Perumal temple, and started the holy procession in a very solemn manner. The urumi group we hired did not play any music as they were sent off by the higher officials and were not allowed to follow my brother’s kavadi. However, as we approached Kitchener Road, the urumi group boys joined us again. They were playing music for us and followed us till Desker Road. At Desker Road, the urumi boys were then pulled aside again, aggressively this time, by the temple officials . My cousin brother who observed the situation went in to mediate as those urumi boys were engaged and paid by us. He questioned those who pulled the boys away on why they were being pulled away, and that these boys were engaged by us. He argued with them asking why weren’t we allowed to play the Urumi & Thavil which are traditional indian instruments. It was emphasized in the media that we were the one playing the instruments at the procession. However, the truth is, we paid and hired a urumi group to play music for my brother’s kavadi. There were about 15 to 20 temple officials and blue uniformed (unable to identify whether they were police or certis cisco in the chaotic situation) men who were involved in the argument. Suddenly, there were a group of guys (about 20-30 guys) who barged in and started manhandling us, trying to push us away from the urumi group. I noticed that my cousin brother was manhandled, being pulled by his tshirt to and fro to a corner, and i also saw his wife was running behind him, trying to pull the husband away from them. A group of men were pushing me and trying to bring me to the ground violently. At the point of time, I noticed my sister-in-law being pushed to the ground, that was when I got agitated and aggravated and I rushed towards my sister in law. From my point of view, the person who pushed my sister in law was wearing a white tshirt. I broke free from the group of men, and I punched him, thats when10 men pinned me down on the road aggressively, suffocating me. They kneed and backheeled me on my face, and said “you dare to punch a police officer”. That was when I realised this group of men were police officers. We were then brought back to the station.

It was stated in all the reports and media news that “3 men were arrested and they smelled strongly of alcohol”. I would like to clarify this statement because this is not the truth at all. I do not consume alcohol AT ALL. There were tonnes of other people at that chaotic situation, & the alcohol smell could have came from anyone at all. So it was wrong for them to have accused us of being drunk and creating nuisance. How could media like “Channel NewsAsia, Vasantham Tamil News, Straits times etc” publish in their news that I was drunk and creating nuisance. Under what basis or what proof did they release this news? Was the conclusion that we were drunk based on the report giving by the SPF?

Secondly, how can a policeman (whose identity was later revealed) push a woman down to the ground? Isn’t it a violent act against a woman (under the woman’s charter)?Why is it that in all the media, this action of the police force was not justified? In my point of view, this is not the behaviour of a police officer, but it is more of a rowdy act. My nephew and niece who witnessed the whole incident were traumatised and could not stop crying. In that chaotic situation, it did not hit my mind that it was a police officer who behaved such.

Also in the statement provided by Minister S ISWARAN in the article “S ISWARAN: PLEASE DON’T OVERREACT ABOUT THE THAIPUSAM INCIDENT posted on 5 Feb 2015 in “The Real Singapore”, “He acknowledged that three people were arrested at the Thaipusam procession on Tuesday for playing drums.” My question to you is Sir, How could you have acknowledge a statement which was not true? We were not drummers or we were not playing the instruments. All instruments were played by the Urumi group we hired.

Thirdly, the root cause to all this chaos was the playing of traditional indian instruments, such as Urumi and Thavil. Being the organizers of Thaipusam, the Hindu Endowment Board should stand up for the Indians and justify the playing of indian traditional instruments for a holy procession. I voiced out to the officials that if Lion Dance are allowed for chinese events and kompangs are allowed for malay events, why aren’t Indians allowed to play our traditional instruments. I did not mean it as a racial remark, but just as a comparison. But I was labelled a racist, giving racist remarks, which is again a false accusation.

In summary, this is my point of view. I am not here to justify my actions, but just to create awareness amongst the public who had been giving different stories everyday. It is NOT TRUE that I was drunk during this chaos as mentioned in all the official news reports. In my opinion, I feel Hindu Endowment Board is not deemed fit to represent us, Indians. They do not know what are our needs, and I believe they could have handled the situation better, and giving us proper explanations when we questioned them, and not pushing the blame to the police and the Govt.

It is heartwarming to see people from the public coming forward to give their opinion and feedback about the whole situation. I believe they are entitled to their freedom of the speech and should not be questioned or interrogated by any of the higher officials

Thank you for taking the time to read through this post.

Regards,
Mohan.

Note: This post first appeared on Mohan’s Facebook under the moniker of King Chola Hercules.

Source: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Alternative-View

February 7, 2015
K Shanmugam: Hindus Are Not Discriminated Against In Singapore

In the wake of an incident on Tuesday (Feb 3) in which three men were arrested during Thaipusam for disorderly behaviour and a skirmish with police, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K Shanmugam has said attacks on police officers are “unacceptable”.

He also explained why musical instruments cannot be played during Thaipusam, and said Hindus are not discriminated against in Singapore.

His Facebook post on Friday (Feb 6) is reproduced below:

There have been many questions on Thaipusam and the playing of musical instruments. Broadly, the questions can be grouped as follows:

Why can’t musical instruments be played to help kavadi carriers during Thaipusam? Why are Hindus being discriminated? Other groups are allowed to play music – eg lion dances, kompangs. Also we allow many groups, including Filipinos to sing and dance. So why not allow the same during Thaipusam?

These are fair questions. They arise from a misunderstanding of the rules. The truth is that Hindus are not discriminated against. In fact, they have been given a special privilege not enjoyed by others.

HINDUS – PRIVILEGED OR DISCRIMINATED AGAINST?

Most people don’t realise that in Singapore, all religious foot processions are banned. This ban was imposed in 1964, after riots.

But Hindus were given an exemption: Hindus have been allowed three religious foot processions: Thaipusam, Panguni Uthiram and Thimithi.

The Hindu religious foot processions go through major roads. No other religion is given this privilege.

When other non-Hindu religious groups apply to hold foot processions, they are usually rejected. On rare occasions when it is given, stringent conditions will be imposed including much shorter routes, unlike Thaipusam which lasts the whole day and goes through major roads.

So the first point to note: only the Hindus are allowed such large religious foot processions.

LION DANCES/KOMPANGS

What is the difference between Thaipusam (where music is not allowed during the foot procession) as opposed to kompangs/lion dances (with music being played in a public place)?

Lion dances, kompangs and other such celebrations are often held during social, community events. These are usually non-religious events. Likewise, at Hindu community events, musical instruments are also used – Nathaswaram, Melas. There are many such community celebrations: both on a national scale and in the local communities across Singapore. They are not religious foot processions. The ban on religious foot processions (as opposed to such communal/social events) is because they carry a particular sensitivity – the risk of incidents is considered to be higher.

Likewise, singing, dancing at communal get-togethers by Singaporeans, foreigners are not affected by the general ban on religious foot processions.

While there is a general ban on religious foot processions, sometimes, permission may also be granted for religious events, with some music in a public place. It is unlikely that there would be a foot procession over a long route. And sometimes, at events such as the Kew Ong Yah Festival, there will be public gatherings in the different constituencies, playing of some music, but even then, the police will generally not allow long foot processions.

What I have set out are the general rules – based on appeals, sometimes exceptions may be made, based on the specific facts. But the basic position is: as a rule, religious foot processions will not be allowed except for the three Hindu festivals.

So yes – as shown by social media, there are many events in public with music. But they are often not religious events. Sometimes, they are religious events – for which permission would have been obtained, as set out above.

So the Hindus are actually in a privileged position. There are many other religious groups which have asked to be allowed to hold foot processions. These appeals have generally been rejected.

I think even as Hindus ask for relaxation of the rules, we should know the true facts. And not misunderstand them.

With these facts, is there a case for allowing musical instruments to be played during the Thaipusam foot procession, in support of the kavadi carriers?

This is a matter than can be debated. There were incidents in the past which led to the tightening up. Whether the rules should be relaxed, and whether and under what conditions music should be allowed during the Thaipusam processions, is something HEB has to discuss with the agencies. HEB has relaxed the rules last year within the temple premises.

ATTACKS ON POLICE

Beyond the issues relating to Thaipusam, there is another serious issue which should concern all Singaporeans.

The police officers on the ground were trying to do their job and dealt with three men. One of the men assaulted the police and all three men used vulgarities at the police. The injured police officer had to be treated at the hospital.

Our police officers protect all of us. It is quite unacceptable for the police to be physically assaulted or ill-treated. We cannot allow them to be demeaned, assaulted. Right-thinking Singaporeans will find this completely unacceptable. If police officers misbehave, they should be disciplined. But gratuitous attacks on the police cannot be allowed and should not be tolerated. We as Singaporeans should come forward and say no to such attacks.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

February 7, 2015
Petition To Mdm Halimah Yaacob To Reinstate Thaipusam As A Public Holiday

In Singapore, every major race is given two days of religious or cultural holiday. The Chinese have Chinese New Year (CNY), which lasts for two days. Malays, who are predominantly Muslim, are given holidays for Hari Raya Haji and Hari Raya Puasa. Indians are given Deepavali and Vesak Day. Hence, Thaipusam could not be made a holiday for Indian Hindus.

However, who observes Vesak Day? It is a Buddhist holiday. Buddhism originated in India, but by and large, the world’s biggest population of Buddhists, are East Asian. In Singapore, this means it is the Singaporean Chinese who are mostly Buddhist. Why is it gazetted as an Indian holiday when there are so few Indians celebrating it?

Thaipusam should be made a holiday in Singapore from 2016 in the interest of fairness to all races in Singapore.

Please sign this petition that will be sent to the Public Petitions Committee of the Parliament of Singapore asking to make Thaipusam a holiday in Singapore.

LETTER TO

Chairman, Public Petitions Comittee, Parliament of Singapore Mdm Halimah Yacob

In Singapore, every major race is given two days of religious or cultural holiday. The Chinese have Chinese New Year (CNY), which lasts for two days. Malays, who are predominantly Muslim, are given holidays for Hari Raya.

Sangeetha Thanapal

Source: www.change.org

February 5, 2015