March 20, 2003	Thursday	Muharram 16, 1424

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KUALA LUMPUR, March 19: Malaysian field hockey officials expressed disappointment Wednesday with India’s last-minute decision to pull out of the Azlan Shah Cup tournament.

India decided to shun the prestigious tournament in northern Perak state from March 22 to 30 after a row over a roundup by Malaysian police of more than 200 Indian expatriates in a search for illegal immigrants.

“Any team that withdraws at the eleventh hour causes a lot of problems. Of course, it is disappointing. But the glamour is still there,” S. Satgunam, Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) secretary, told AFP.

He said MHF had re-drawn the tournament and submitted it to the International Hockey Federation for approval.

It would not invite another team to replace India and would go ahead with five teams — Germany, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Korea and Malaysia.

Satgunam said MHF wrote to the Indian Hockey Federation about the issue on Monday but had yet to receive a reply.

“We live it as it is. We will continue the tournament with five teams,” he said.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar urged India meanwhile not to allow the roundup incident to further strain bilateral ties and to wait for the outcome of a police investigation.

“We hope the whole situation is not overplayed in the media that creates emotion and misunderstanding,” he told reporters in eastern Sabah state.

“We have expressed our regret that such an incident has happened and we are investigating. Let that investigation take its course. It is just a question of time.”

Many of the Indians caught in the police round-up were IT professionals, who complained of rough treatment before they were released.

Around 40,000 Indian expatriates work in Malaysia, including information technology professionals, engineers, doctors, academics and executives involved in joint ventures.—AFP