THE public will question recent police action against those detained for suspected links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when the group is defunct and not mentioned in a recent US government report on terrorism, Lim Guan Eng said.

The DAP secretary-general today urged the police to explain the US State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2018, which said Malaysia remains a “source and transit point” for terror groups like the Islamic State (IS), despite the country having stepped up its anti-terrorism efforts.

“DAP hopes that the police can explain the report… No mention was made by the US government report on terrorism activities by the LTTE. 

“Public concerns will only mount over the recent police action taken on those with alleged LTTE links, when the LTTE is now defunct and no longer in existence, as compared with active terrorist groups, like the IS, Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI),” Lim said in his speech at the Johor DAP state annual convention in Muar.

Two DAP assemblymen and three party members are among 12 men arrested and charged recently under the Penal Code over allegedly supporting the LTTE. All their arrests were made under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012, which DAP has urged the government to repeal.

The US report released on Friday highlighted four terrorism-linked incidents, but noted there were no IS-affiliated attacks on Malaysian soil last year.

However, the report said Malaysia “remains a source and transit point, and to a significantly lesser extent, a destination country, for terrorist groups, including IS, ASG, al-Qaeda and JI”.

Lim, who is also Bagan MP and finance minister, said DAP welcomed recent assurances by Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin that police would investigate claims of torture and forced confessions by some of the accused while in police custody.

Lim also welcomed Muhyiddin’s statement that terrorism and communist conspiracy allegations DAP were lies. – November 3, 2019.