Focus on probe instead of issuing statements, says LGE

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

“There are those who said I was obstructing police investigations but I did not do such a thing.

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

“I also hope that Datuk Ayob (Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division (E8) deputy director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay) reads carefully my statement and not twist a statement of a national leader, ” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.Lim said that his statement on the recent police arrests 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 give irrelevant comments, particularly on a statement which I had never made, ” he added.

Lim clarified that he did not say that he was given an assurance during a briefing that there would be no further arrests of DAP leaders and lawmakers, saying that he only mentioned “lawmakers”.“I said wakil rakyat and if there are any more arrests of wakil rakyat, then it means that I have been given an erroneous view, ” he said.

Asked who provided him the briefing on the police arrests into alleged links to the LTTE, Lim said it was not necessary to divulge from where he got the information, saying only it was a briefing to a minister.

In a press statement issued by Lim last Thursday, there was a mention that “no more leaders or of wakil rakyat from DAP would be targeted”.

On Sunday, Ayob clarified that he did not state that no other DAP leaders would be arrested on suspicion of links to the LTTE.

He added that he was unclear if anyone else had given Lim such assurance or if Lim had come to the conclusion himself.