THE arrest and charging of 12 men with terrorism for allegedly supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have left families in dire straits, as most of the detained were the sole breadwinners.

The wives, children and extended family members of the detainees will today march to Parliament to demand the freedom of their loved ones and explain the hardships they are facing after the arrests more than a month ago.

Some are struggling in their business, shunned by customers who fear being stigmatised, others have had to stop their tertiary education over a lack of funds.

N. Lalitta, 55, the wife of accused B. Subramaniam, said the eatery she ran with her husband has seen a drop in business as people are afraid of being associated with her.

“On the day my husband was arrested, policemen in black stormed our restaurant, pointing guns at customers who were eating while ordering them not to make any video recording on their handphones.

“Since then, customers have shunned us. They no longer come to our restaurant. I don’t know how I am going to fund my children’s studies at college, as I depend on the business at the restaurant,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Today, more than 200 people are expected to gather at Parliament’s gates to demand the release of the 12 men. Almost all of them will be family or relatives of the accused.

Lalitta said a memorandum will be submitted to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof at the 9am gathering.

“There will be about 20 people from each family present and we will submit our memorandum to the prime minister.

“We hope the prime minister will be compassionate on the 12 families and free their loved ones. Only Dr Mahathir can order their freedom. Tun, please help these 12 families,” Lalitta said.

The Malaysian Insight met her and several relatives of those detained yesterday, ahead of their march to Parliament today.

The younger brother of another accused, S. Thanagaraj, has had to stop his studies because of a lack of funds to pay his college fees.

S. Kaviarasuroy, 22, said his brother’s arrest was the second tragedy to strike the family in the last two years, after the death of an older brother.

“Thanagaraj was our breadwinner, the one caring for our elderly parents and he also helped me get a job at a store.

“I now have to find extra work in order to care for our parents. I have to postpone my studies as I can’t afford the fees,” said Kaviarasuroy, whose parents live in Penang.

Of the 12, two are DAP assemblymen, G. Saminathan (Gadek) and P. Gunasekaran (Seremban Jaya). Three other accused are also DAP members.

Saminathan’s wife, V. Umar Devi, 31, said their family were now totally dependent on aid the party gave them, as her husband had been the sole breadwinner. Saminathan is also a Malacca exco member.

“My husband has been the only one caring for me and our two children. And not just our immediate family, but two of his sisters plus their six children as well.

“We have nothing left to sustain us. The children miss him terribly and our only hope is that the government can heed our plight,” she said.

The 12 were detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma), which allows for detention without trial for 28 days.  Their arrests have renewed calls for Pakatan Harapan to fulfil its election promise to abolish all oppressive laws, including Sosma.

They were charged with supporting the LTTE on October 29 and 30. They face a maximum of seven years in jail, or a fine or both, if convicted.

There is a sense of disbelief surrounding the arrests, as the LTTE has been militarily defeated in 2009.

The LTTE’s ideology of Tamil nationalism in Sri Lanka is still popular among Tamilians abroad and the LTTE’s Heroes Day is commemorated annually among the community in other countries.

Counterterrorism police, however, said there is more than just sympathy for the LTTE, and that there are plans to revive the militant group.

Those detained include a teacher, state government-linked company executive, Malacca local councillor, factory worker, security guard, storekeeper, scrap-metal dealer, despatch rider, taxi driver and technician.

With a few of them being DAP leaders and members, party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng recently spoke up, condemning the use of Sosma, and also questioned if the arrests was the work of a “deep state”.

Two of the accused have alleged that they were mistreated and forced to make confessions while in police custody. An investigation into their claims is ongoing. – November 21, 2019.