Guan Eng: Cops should focus on LTTE investigation, instead of issuing statements on ‘twisted news’

KUALA LUMPUR: The police should focus on investigations into alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), instead of issuing statements on “twisted news” reports of his recent statement, says DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

“There are those who said I was obstructing police investigations but I never did.

“I hope that my statement is not twisted by any quarter.

“I also hope that Datuk Ayob (Bukit Aman’s Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division or E8 deputy director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay) reads my statement carefully and not twist a statement from a national leader, ” the Finance Minister told reporters in the Parliament lobby Monday (Oct 14).

Lim claimed that his statement on the recent police arrests of those alleged to have links to the LTTE, the terrorist organisation also known as the Tamil Tigers and largely believed to be defunct, had been misreported by the media.

“I want to stress that we support the police and hope they can focus their time on investigations rather than giving irrelevant comments, particularly on a statement which I had never made, ” he said.

Lim added that he did not say that he had been given an assurance during a briefing that would be no more further police arrests of DAP leaders and lawmakers, saying that he only mentioned “lawmakers”.

“I said wakil rakyat and if there are anymore arrests of wakil rakyat, then it means that I have been given an erroneous view, ” he said.

Asked who had briefed him on the arrests, Lim said it was not necessary to divulge from where he got the information, only saying it was a “briefing to a minister”.

In a press statement last Thursday (Oct 10), Lim said the police had given him the assurance that “no more leaders or wakil rakyat from DAP would be targeted” on alleged LTTE links.

On Sunday (Oct 13), DCP Ayob said he had given no such assurances, and wondered who had briefed Lim.

He added that he was not sure if anyone else had given Lim such an assurance or if Lim had come to the conclusion himself.

Last Thursday (Oct 10), seven individuals were picked up by the authorities in Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Perak, over suspected links with the LTTE.

Two of them were DAP leaders: Seremban Jaya assemblyman P. Gunasekaran and Gadek assemblyman G. Saminathan.

On Saturday (Oct 12), E8 officers arrested five more men between 10am and 5pm in its LTTE investigations.

The five were a 52-year-old teacher who was picked up in Telok Panglima Garang, an executive officer with Melaka's Perbadanan Bumi Hijau, a Melaka city councillor who was detained in Durian Tunggal, and a factory worker and security supervisor in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

Sri Lanka was embroiled in a 26-year-long civil war with the LTTE, which saw around 80,000-100,000 people being killed.

The Sri Lankan civil war ended when its military defeated the LTTE in May 2009.

However, over the years, there have been several arrests by authorities against individuals said to be supporting the LTTE, which is labelled a terrorist organisation in Malaysia.