Malaysian PM urged to intervene in temple relocation issue

Petaling Jaya, Sep. 7 (ANI): Malaysian Hindu Sanggam Council president R.S. Mohan Shan has called on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to intervene in the Shah Alam city's temple relocation issue.

"Both the PM and the Mentri Besar (Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim) must take action to help the 3,000 Hindus in Sections 19 to 23," the Star Online quoted Mohan, as saying.

The Section 19 temple is about 150 years old and was originally located in a plantation, but when the State Economic Development Corporation decided to develop the area into a housing estate, it left the temple there.

Initially, the temple was supposed to be relocated to an industrial area in Section 22, but was moved to Section 23 to make it more accessible for devotees.

Certain quarters had blamed the state government's lack of consultation with the people for the latest incident.

Mohan, who is also Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism vice-president, pointed out that the proposed one-acre plot temple site in Section 23 was located 600m from the residential area, a distance far enough to keep any "disturbing" noise from affecting the residents.

"So we don't understand why the temple would be a disturbance when it's so far away," he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Indian Welfare Association (PKIM) chairman A. Prakash urged the police to arrest and charge those responsible for the cow's head protest.

"It is only a group of people who are trying to provoke the Indians deliberately and it has to be stopped immediately," he said. (ANI)