Ramasamy: Is attending a peace meet tantamount to terror?

Is attending a meeting to broker peace between two warring parties, tantamount to terror, asked Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy today. 

Ramasamy told Malaysiakini when contacted that he had merely attended a meeting by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Constitutional Affairs Committee in 2004, as part of a delegation to promote peace between the LTTE  and the Sri Lankan security forces, organised by the Norwegian government.

“I was involved in the Sri Lankan peace forces. Does that mean I am a supporter of a terrorist organisation?

“This issue is deliberately being brought up to sidestep the issue of Zakir Naik, to deflect (attention) from it,” he said. 

Ramasamy, who is also Perai assemblyperson, was responding to a call by PAS information chief Nasruddin Hassan earlier today, urging the police to initiate an immediate probe against the former for alleged links to LTTE, which is designated as a terror organisation by the European Union. 

“He is the Penang Deputy Chief Minister II and a DAP assemblyperson, and is said to be involved with the Sri Lankan separatist group LTTE," said Nasruddin. 

Besides that, Nasruddin also referred to a recent viral photograph of Ramasamy and another DAP lawmaker - Bagan Dalam assemblyperson Satees Muniandy, “worshipping” a photograph of an  AK-47 assault rifle.

Both of them have since clarified that the photo was taken during a  memorial service for genocide victims in 2015. 

“He, along with other individuals who are involved, need to be investigated thoroughly. This is a cause for concern because it could threaten political stability and peace in Malaysia,” Nasruddin had said. 

Nasruddin has also alleged that Ramasamy was closely acquainted with Indian politician V Gopalasamy, popularly known as Vaiko, who was blacklisted by the Immigration Department and barred from entering the country last year, for purported links with the LTTE. 

Ramasamy has been vocal against the current government's hesitance to deport controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik back to India, where he is wanted for criminal charges of money laundering, supporting terrorist activities and inciting religious tension in India. -Mkini