MALAYSIAN PM TO MAKE HISTORIC VISIT TO BATU CAVES ON THAIPUSAM EVE

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
will make an historic visit to Batu Caves on the eve of Thaipusam, which falls
on Saturday.

A spokesman of the Prime Minister's office confirmed that Najib would be at
the Batu Caves temple, where more than one million Hindus would converge for
Thaipusam, on Friday night.

The visit will make Najib only the second prime minister in the country's
history to visit the Hindu holy site since the nation gained independence more
than 50 years ago.

Najib's father, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein was the first premier to grace the
occasion during his tenure as the nation's second prime minister more than 30
years ago.

However, it is unclear if Najib will deliver a speech at the event.

Since taking over as prime minister nearly a year ago, Najib had made it a
point to win the hearts and the minds of the 1.8 million Malaysian Indian
population, many of whom are believed to have switched allegiance in the 2008
general election after backing the ruling coalition since the nation's
independence.

The Thaipusam festival commemorates the birthday of Lord Murugan, the
youngest son of Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati, and the occasion when Parvati
gave Lord Murugan a vel (spear) so that he could vanquish the evil demon,
Soorapadman.

Najib's visit to Batu Caves also comes on the heels of the prime minister's
visit to Tamil Nadu, the heartland of Malaysian Tamils, about a week ago.

The Tamil Nadu visit also ensured that Najib's name was inked in the history
books as being the first Malaysian prime minister to visit the Indian state.

Tamils form 80 per cent of the Malaysian Indian population.

Batu Caves is a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave
temples, located in Gombak district, 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside
India, dedicated to Lord Murugan.

-- BERNAMA