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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, March 20, 2001: Beneath the normally tranquil surface of Malaysian society, dangerous tensions and the potential for violence still lurk. Sixteen-year-old Indran Rajasinga was on his way home when he was attacked by a gang of Malay youths. “I have no idea how I got away.” A wound to his head required stitches and an injury to his leg are the only scars he bears. But the fear is still there. He has not left home in days. “Now I only need to see a Malay and I feel angry,” Indran said. “If they attack the Indians again, we will fight back.” Four days of vicious street battles between Indians and Malays in the squalid townships brought Malaysia its closest brush with serious ethnic strife in over 30 years. Hundreds of riot police and paramilitary troops managed to restore order, but six people were confirmed dead, and dozens of others were injured.

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