Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) have urged the police to stop racial profiling of motorists in their roadblocks set up to quash a rally in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.

PKR vice-president R Sivarasa said the party had received numerous complaints of police officers targeting Indians at these roadblocks which are causing tension within the community.

"Such race-based actions are wrong. It is causing discontent among the Indian community," he told a press conference at the PKR headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

The numerous checkpoints, throughout the city and highway entry points throughout western Peninsular Malaysia, have been erected since Thursday.

The police claimed the checkpoints were to weed out "undesirable elements" ahead of a mass rally organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) tomorrow.

Since then, there have been numerous reports of racial profiling by the police who only stop Indian motorists, often inspecting their vehicles and mobile phones.

'Targeting Indians only'

Several PKR leaders who attended today's press conference attested to this.

R Dinesh of PKR's Rasah division said he and a friend were told to pull over at one of the police checkpoints for about 15 minutes.

"They were targeting Indians only. They checked everything - our driving licenses, identity cards and even our car boot," said Dinesh.

PKR Wanita vice-chief Haniza Talha also told the press conference that her husband, a Malay, was also quizzed by the police at the Kulim North-South Highway toll plaza.

"He was giving a friend, an Indian, a lift to Kuala Lumpur. For that, he was questioned," she said.

Qualified support

Meanwhile, Sivarasa reiterated that while PKR supports the right of all Malaysians to assembly peacefully, the party does not fully endorse Hindraf's views pertaining to the rally.

"As pointed out by Anwar Ibrahim, we disagree with Hindraf putting the blame for the plight of poor Indians on the Federal Constitution and Article 153,

"As far as we are concerned, it is the corrupt Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition government that is responsible for the marginalisation and neglect of poor Indians and also the poor of all other races," he said.

He urged Hindraf to join forces with other "pro-reform" groups in order to collectively resolve the grievances of the Indian community.

Hindraf have been often criticised as taking a racial and religious hard line, but they have over the past months manage to secure a wave of support from the working class Indians through a series of public lectures and efforts to save temples from state-sanctioned demolitions.

Historical claim

Hindraf aims to gather 10,000 Indians tomorrow at the British High Commission to witness the handing over of a petition to the British Queen.

The petition is seeking Queen Elizabeth II's support in a suit filed by Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy against the British government for the plight of the Indian community in Malaysia.

However, the authorities have deemed the rally illegal and even sought a court order to ban individuals from attending the rally.

PKR information chief Tian Chua lambasted the authorities for banning the rally adding that it was a norm for civil society groups to petition foreign governments.

"In Korea, there are protests against the Japanese government and the Jews have protested as well at numerous German embassies for World War II atrocities,

"History will judge if Hindraf's historical claim is valid. For now, as a civil organisation, Hindraf has a right to make such claim," Chua said.