Indian (Tamil-Hindu) community in Malaysia may soon disappear

By PTI

Posted On Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 02:33:59 PM

Kuala Lumpur: With most families opting for fewer children, the minority ethnic Indian community in Malaysia may fade away soon, a community leader said here. Malaysia Hindu Sangam deputy president Balatharumalingam expressed the fear that this scenario could soon turn into reality as it had become a normal practice for Indian families to have only one or two children. There is a possibility that the Indian population in the country would be reduced drastically and there is a possibility the community could disappear, local Tamil daily 'Tamil Nesan' quoted Dr Balatharumalingam as saying. Multi-cultural Malaysia is composed of three main races comprising majority Malays, 25 per cent ethnic Chinese and eight per cent ethnic Indians, mostly Tamils. Most Indians were brought to the then Malaya by the British to help out in the rubber plantations.