Keling
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Keling is a degrading slang for Tamils or Hindu in Malaysia[1]. The term was originally used to describe migrants from India who came in chains from the Andaman Islands as laborors. However, there is a theory that it started during the British colonial days when the country was known as Malaya[citation needed].
Being the world’s biggest rubber supplier, contract workers were brought in through British India Company to work in the rubber plantations of Malaya mainly from southern states of India.
Recently, this was used by Members of Parliament in Malaysia, resulting in uproar by the Malaysian community accussing the MPs of racism[2]. Popular usage in Malaysia also suggests a tone of general disrespect to Indian Malaysians.
[edit] Non-degrading usage
The word keling kia can be used in a non racist context where describing Indians. Keling kia is also used in a non-racist context in the Hokkien or Teochew dialects, spoken by Chinese Malaysians, when referring to Indians in general.
