Twelve men have been detained under Sosma since October for their alleged involvement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – a defunct militant organisation that tried to create an independent Tamil state in Sri Lanka.
The men have constantly denied their involvement in LTTE, stating that the flags, posters and pictures found in their possession meant they only sympathised with the plight of the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka.
Between 60,000 and 100,000 Tamil civilians died during a 27-year civil war in Sri Lanka, according to figures from the United Nations.
Bukit Aman’s counter-terrorism chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay had previously said LTTE had been classified as a terrorist organisation by Malaysia under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (Amla).
However, lawyer Saraswathy Kandasami, who is serving as the families’ adviser, said that there is no proof that the men had supported LTTE financially and questioned why Amla was being used against them.
Stating that the families are compiling detailed information on the charges against the 12 men, Saraswathy said she hoped they will be able to hand it over to Mahathir over the next 10 days.
“The police say LTTE is listed as a terrorist organisaiton under Amla, but the suspects have been detained under Sosma,” she pointed out during a press conference here today.
“Is having a photograph an act prohibited under Amla? What about having a flag?
“Don’t abuse Amla if there are no financial transactions (to terror groups).
“We know why they have been detained and we have proof that these arrests are politically motivated.
“The next step is to meet the prime minister and hand over a memorandum to state that the arrests are illegal and unconstitutional.
“This is a national issue, and we hope and pray the prime minister will grant us an audience,” she said.
During the same press conference, businessman Oms Thiagarajan said he had made a police report to question LTTE’s listing as a terrorist organisation – stating that the Malaysian government had previously provided assistance to LTTE-backed Tamil World Forum (TFM) in 2012.
Thiagarajan’s report comes on the back of Mahathir’s call in December for the public to launch police reports if there is proof that the previous government had supported LTTE.
On its website, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry states that TFM is the successor to the World Tamil Relief Fund of Malaysia, the “organisation that coordinated the flow of funds from Australia, Europe and North America for illegal procurement activities in North Korea and the maintenance of the LTTE arms carriers”.
In June 2012, then deputy federal territories and urban wellbeing minister M Saravanan said the government gave a US$1 million (then RM3.2 million) donation to TFM.
New Straits Times reported that the contribution was to help 1,700 widows and orphans in Sri Lanka who had lost their loved ones during the civil war, with Saravanan hoping that the donation would mark the start of a relationship between the government and TFM.
“Who should be arrested under Amla? Those who gave US$1 million or those who have photos on their handphone?” asked Saraswathi.