11.2 Factual background recorded by the HINDRAF/HRP, Malaysia based on newspaper articles reported in Malaysian newspapers:

· 1,400 new taxi permits were issued (UM 26/1/09 page 7). We estimate that about 40% of the taxi drivers are Indians but only 10% of the 40% were granted their own taxi permits or only about 4 % are permit holders. The rest of the taxi drivers have to rent their taxi permits from Malay Muslim companies and about 30% of their income would go towards payment of these permits.

· 85% of the scrap metal traders in Malaysia are Indians. According to the Malaysian Indian Metal Traders Association secretary General Mr. Param,(July 22 2008 The Star) the livelihood of the scrap metal trade has become more difficult because approval has to be obtained from seven government departments – the Local Council, the Land Office, the Fire and Rescue department, the District Health Department, the Drainage and Irrigation department, Public Works Department and the Police. Many of the traders operate without licenses as a result and are harassed daily by the corrupt authorities. Contrast that with all of the support the Government provides for the majority Malay constituency.

· Some 5,000 traditional Indian scrap metal petty traders have been denied licences (The Star 28/11/09 at page N 22).

· Even as late as November 2009 G. Subramanian, the last few remaining Indian mini market owner of 30 years standing in Temerloh Pahang had his license to trade revoked for no apparent reason. (The Star headlines 22/11/09).

· Two mega Islamic bank licences were issued to Malay Muslim groups (The Starbiz 27/10/10 at page 1).

· But the bank licences previously held the Indian Diaspora for example the Indian Overseas Bank, Bank Buruh, CCB etc have been revoked on the pretext of mergers takeovers etc.

· About the last remaining Sathiam bus company was denied licence to ply the suburbs of Teluk Intan ( The Star 18/10/10 at page N 49).

· We estimate almost all of the hundreds of thousands of Entrepreneurs created and to be created by the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, Agriculture and Agro Based Industry Ministry, MARA, SME Bank, Agro Bank, etc with hundreds of billions of government funds are denied to the Indians.