Malaysian lawmakers arrested over alleged ties to Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers
- Assemblymen G. Saminathan and P. Gunasekaran being investigated under security laws for alleged links to militant organisation
- The group have been labelled terrorists by more than 30 nations but have been considered inactive for the last 10 years
Two Malaysian lawmakers from a party in the country’s governing coalition have been arrested for alleged links to a Sri Lankan militant organisation commonly known as the Tamil Tigers.
Assemblymen G. Saminathan from the state of Malacca and P. Gunasekaran of Negeri Sembilan were arrested on Thursday, confirmed Thomas Su, a member of the central executive committee in the predominantly-Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP), which the duo also belong to.
Malaysian media reported that the pair, along with five others including an unnamed ethnic Indian NGO leader, were being investigated under security laws for links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), allegedly due to a gathering they attended last year.
Police anti-terrorism chief Ayob Khan on Thursday said officers had been monitoring the seven men since November, and that both assemblymen had been actively supportive of the LTTE.
The others nabbed included a 28-year-old scrap dealer who organised pro-LTTE events and assaulted a Sri Lankan diplomat some years ago, an insurance agent suspected of plotting an attack on the Sri Lankan embassy, and a taxi driver in league with the scrap dealer.