Protests in Malaysia denounce Syrian violence

More than 150 Syrians demonstrated in Malaysias capital Friday to demand the ouster of the government of President Bashar al-Assad over its campaign to violently crush regime opponents.Syrian students and activists gathered at their nations embassy in Kuala Lumpur, carrying Syrian flags and posters that read Stop Killing Syrian People and Free Syria.The crowd, made up largely of students who are studying in Malaysian universities, called on the government of Muslim-majority Malaysia to denounce Damascus and shut down the embassy.We are demonstrating today because we want to tell the world that as Syrians living overseas, we thoroughly oppose what the present government is doing to our people, 26-year-old protester Aubai Eliwy told AFP.The massacre of innocent people must stop. They must stop killing their own citizens.Representatives of Malaysian opposition parties and an alliance of local Muslim non-governmental organisations also joined in the protest, which took place after Friday prayers.We have seen the massacres take place in Syrian cities... and yet the international community has yet to take concrete action against Assad and his government, said Shamsul Iskandar, head of the youth wing of the opposition Peoples Justice Party.Police in riot gear kept watch but did not intervene in the demonstration, which brought traffic to a standstill in Kuala Lumpurs leafy diplomatic quarter.Rights groups estimate more than 6,000 people have died in the crackdown against anti-government protesters in Syria since mid-March.