7 held in Tamil Tigers probe can see lawyers, family, says IGP


Alfian Z.M. Tahir

Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador urges political parties to remain calm over the arrests, saying it is the police's responsibility to ensure the safety of all citizens. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, October 12, 2019.

THE rights of all seven men detained on suspicion of promoting, supporting and channelling funds to now defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will be guaranteed, said Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador.

The top cop said he had already informed his men investigating the case to ensure those held received access to lawyers as well as family visits.

“This has nothing to do with religion or race. This is purely an investigation into a terror group. I have told the department responsible to make sure that their rights are upheld.

“They will have access to lawyers, and families are allowed to visit. I do not want to hear complaints that they were denied such rights,” he said this morning after launching a sports event in Bukit Aman.

Hamid also urged political parties to remain calm over the arrests, saying it is the police’s responsibility to ensure the safety of all citizens.

“This is a national security issue. I want to tell political parties and politicians to remain calm. It is our responsibility to prevent unwanted incident from happening. It is our job to safeguard the nation.

“We do not want an incident like in Indonesia, where a minister was stabbed recently. We will take action no matter who is behind it,” Hamid said.

Police had said yesterday they were not ruling out the possibility of more arrests to facilitate the probe into the LTTE terror group.

Bukit Aman Special Branch Counterterrorism Division principal assistant director Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay had said the force has 28 days to investigate the seven people, including two DAP assemblymen, detained on Thursday.

“Police are not ruling out the possibility of more individuals being arrested to assist in the investigations, if there is enough evidence,” he had told a press conference at the federal police headquarters.

Ayob Khan had said the LTTE has been listed as a terror group in Malaysia since 2014, and that it was also on the terror lists of the US, India and Sri Lanka, where it is based.

Two days ago, seven people, including the two reps from Malacca and Negri Sembilan, were arrested on suspicion of promoting, supporting, channelling funds to and possessing materials related to the Tamil Tigers group.

Besides Malacca and Negri Sembilan, the others were detained in Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Kuala Lumpur. – October 12, 2019.


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  • So we now we have to believe that their arbitrary detention by the executive branch is acceptable in the NEW democratic government of PH. Did we not have that previously by the BN . These are Malaysian Citizens, if you are fired from your job, you have the right to be heard. Why do you go and arrest Malaysians who have done nothing wrong ( innocent before conviction) to be taken. Why complain about Israel taking Palestinians and putting them in jail without trial. Show us the PROOF that they were not helping people like Hezbollah , who have been helping hospitals, and those who are injured. I say that with a caveat about Hezbollah, who have done much wrong too. Release these Indians please or charge them tomorrow. Dont be a pariah nation as we were before! Rule of law in multiracial, religious country is important.

    Posted 6 years ago by Magnolia Chan · Reply