Twelve allegedly linked to LTTE to be charged in court

PETALING JAYA: Two DAP assemblymen and 10 other men detained for alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are expected to be charged Tuesday (Oct 29).

Seremban Jaya assemblyman P. Gunasekaran and Gadek assemblyman G. Saminathan will be charged along with another man at a court in Ayer Keroh, Melaka.

Lawyer Harshaan Zamani confirmed that the two will be charged.

"We were informed that they will be charged in Ayer Keroh, Melaka," he said when contacted Monday (Oct 28).

Sources said nine other men, who were also detained for alleged links to the terror group are also expected to be charged at a later date.

Two will be charged in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, while the others in Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang.

The 12 men were detained by the Counter Terrorism Division (E8) on Oct 10 and 12 in various parts of the country.

Sri Lanka was embroiled in a 26-year civil war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan military, which saw around 80,000-100,000 people killed.

The civil war ended when Sri Lanka’s 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 as an illegal organisation in Malaysia.

In Malaysia, LTTE was labelled a terrorist organisation under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act in February 2014.

Sri Lanka, the United States, Canada, India and the European Union have also labelled the LTTE a terrorist group.