UM lecturer apologises over racist remarks

PETALING JAYA: A lecturer in Universiti Malaya (UM) has formally apologised for making racist remarks uttered against two Indian students during a class.
UM vice-chancellor Tan Sri Prof Dr. Mohd Amin Jalaludin said the lecturer did so verbally and in writing during a meeting between the two parties last month.
He said the students accepted the Education Faculty lecturer's apology and hoped the incident will not recur in the future.
"The lecturer in question regrets the incident and stressed that it was not her intention to stir any racial issues. She also promised to be more careful in the future," Mohd Amin said in a statement today.
He then warned UM's academic and administrative staff that any form of disrespect towards other races will not be tolerated and necessary actions will be taken against them.
The incident created uproar among Malaysians, with many calling for the lecturer's sacking, when one of the affected students posted a video on Facebook of the incident.
The student said in her post that the lecturer barred another Indian student from sitting next to her as Indians supposedly "copy and plagiarise assignments", and prevented the two from working in group assignments as she "knew how Indians are".
The government then instructed UM to form an independent panel to investigate the incident and the university confirmed that the case has been referred to its Staff Disciplinary Committee.
If found guilty, the lecturer could face appropriate action under the Statutory Bodies (Discipline and Surcharge) Act 2000.