Malaysian Minister says Pakatan party not linked to LTTE

There is no link between DAP and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), says Malaysian Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said the arrest of several assemblymen from the Democratic Action Party is based purely on their individual actions.

“As a party, DAP is not involved; action is taken against individuals based on the law. It is not the issue of a political organisation,” he said in Parliament.

Since the police launched a crackdown on alleged LTTE links in Malaysia, 10 men, two of them DAP state assemblymen, were arrested.

They are Melaka exco member G. Saminathan and Seremban Jaya assemblyman P. Gunasekaran. The DAP is backing the two, providing them with legal support.

The court heard they were in possession of items related to the LTTE, as well as supporting the terror group.

The court set Dec 16 for a re-mention of the case.

On the other hand, two men were also charged in a separate Sessions Court in Butterworth, Penang yesterday for possession of items linked to the LTTE. They are a security guard, M. Pumugan, 29, and a storekeeper, S. Thanagaraj, 26.

They were charged under Section 130JB (1)(a) of the Penal Code which provides imprisonment for up to seven years but were not granted bail because they are detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act which does not allow for bail.

Two other men were also charged in Kuala Kangsar, Perak for providing support to the LTTE at an event. They are S. Arivainthan, 27, and taxi driver, V. Balamurugan, 37.

The charge under section 130J(1)(a) of the Penal Code carries a penalty of life imprisonment or 30 years’ imprisonment or a fine.

The DAP is rocked by the accusations of links to the LTTE, a Sri-Lankan based military outfit that fought a civil war in the country for decades. It was defeated in 2009, bringing an end to the 26-year old civil war. More than 80,000 to 100,000 people were killed in the civil war. -/TISG