Kuala Lumpur, Sep 12 (IANS) As many as 30 to 35 Malaysian Indians attempt or commit suicide compared to 15 Chinese Malaysians and six Malays from each ethnic bloc of 100,000.

The country's health ministry has forecast that in the next 10 to 15 years, suicide will become the second largest cause of death in Malaysia after heart diseases.

Concerned over the high number of suicides in the Indian community, T. Maniam of the department of psychiatry in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said the actual figures might be even higher.

Indians comprise seven percent of Malaysia's 24 million people.

"We plan to set up a suicide registry for systematic collection of data," Maniam told the New Straits Times.

"With a registry, we will be in a better position to provide accurate data. The suicide rate in Malaysia may be higher than we perceive."

He said that although there was no single reason for suicide, the common factors were mental disorders, depression, emotional stress, relationship problems, anxiety, poverty, physical abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse, unemployment, financial problems and failure in love.

A spate of suicides in recent times by Malaysian Indians had sparked concern among the political leadership.

S. Samy Vellu, Malaysia's works minister and president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), the premier political party representing the community, wants the government to study the social problems faced by Malaysian Indian families and provide counselling to those in need.

Earlier, Vellu's deputy in MIC, G. Palanivel, had called for a ban on suicide scenes in Indian films after a 30-year-old Indian woman committed suicide along with her two daughters by jumping in front of a train in July.