THE government should remove the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam from its list of terrorist organisations because it is no longer a threat, even in Sri Lanka, said Charles Santiago.

This will also enable the authorities to release the 12 men who are detained on suspicion of links to or support of the group, said the Klang MP.

“We have also broken our promise to the voters and betrayed their trust by using the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, or Sosma, to detain the men,” said Santiago.

Kuala Lumpur High Court earlier today dismissed a bail application by DAP’s Gadek assemblyman, G. Saminathan, who has denied charges he has links to the Tamil Tigers.

Justice Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh ruled that, despite a recent high court ruling declaring Section 13 of Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 unconstitutional, he could not grant bail due to the severity of the punishment for the charges Saminathan faces.

This section states that bail shall not be provided to a person charged with a security offence.

The charges against Saminathan are under Section 130J of the Penal Code, which provides for a life sentence upon conviction.

The judge added that the Tamil Tigers are still classified as an active terrorist organisation under the government gazette, for which the Home Minister has the prerogative.

On October 29, last year, Saminathan, Seremban Jaya assemblyman, P. Gunasekaran, 60, and businessman S. Chandru, 38, denied charges of supporting the Tamil Tigers at a function held at Dewan Kasturi Ayer Keroh, Jalan Utama, Taman Ayer Keroh Heights, from 8.30pm to 10.50pm on November 28, 2018.

Saminathan was also charged with possession of items with elements of terrorism or related to the Tamil Tigers in a mobile phone at the office of the Unity, Human Resources and Consumer Affairs executive councillor at the Chief Minister’s Department at Kompleks Seri Negeri in Malacca at 10.25am on October 10 last year. – January 29, 2020.