MIC president S.A. Vigneswaran has questioned the detention of several people for alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

In a statement, Vigneswaran urged police to charge the men in court if they have evidence against the suspects, instead of holding them in custody under the Security Offences and Special Measures Act (SOSMA).

“I expressed grave concern over the recent arrest of two DAP assemblymen – Gadek’s G. Saminathan and Seremban Jaya’s P. Gunasekaran and a number of individulas – over alleged links to the LTTE.

“If there is prima facie evidence of their involvement in any way with any alleged terrorist activities that are detrimental to the nation’s security, I call for those remanded to be charged in court,” said Vigneswaran who is also Dewan Negara president.

The MIC leader said the civil war in Sri Lanka which killed hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tamils had caused the Tamil diaspora to symphatise with LTTE’s objectives.

“Consequently, the sympathy led to showing support to LTTE. It must be noted the worldwide diaspora that sympathised with LTTE are not terrorists and did not support and fuel terrorism activities.

“They were merely showing support for a cause to bring an end to the sufferings of their fellow Tamils.”

“Can anyone be arrested for showing sympathy?” he asked.

So far, police have detained seven people for alleged links to LTTE.

Police yesterday said more arrests were possible to facilitate the probe into the 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.