Ambiga: No need to use Sosma against assemblypersons, just call them in

Former Bar Council chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan today expressed her shock that a preventive law was used by the current Pakatan Harapan government against two assemblypersons, who were detained yesterday for their alleged link to the now-defunct Sri Lanka-based Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terror group.

Ambiga (photo), who is also a human rights lawyer, said the police could have just called in the elected representatives from Malacca and Negeri Sembilan for questioning.

There was no need to invoke the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, she stressed.

"For me, Sosma is out. There is no need to use Sosma on two assemblypersons, for goodness sake.

"Just call them in for questioning if you have to. So, I'm appalled this is happening under this government. Appalled," she told reporters at the sideline of a forum held at Universiti Malaya this morning.

She was commenting on the arrests of Gadek assemblyperson G. Saminathan, and Seremban Jaya assemblyperson P. Gunasekaran by police yesterday in a dragnet that hauled a total of seven people suspected to be involved in activities related to LTTE in Malaysia.

According to police, all the suspects aged between 27 and 60, are detained for 28 days under the Act.

Ambiga also questioned the arrests, saying that she found it difficult to believe that LTTE still posed a threat today.

Meanwhile, Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin, when met at the same event, told reporters that he felt it was unfair to comment on the case at this stage.

"On the case involving the two assemblypersons, I cannot comment. Because we do not know the facts of the case.

"We should leave it to the police to investigate. I think it is unfair for us to make any comments," he said.

On the use of Sosma, Khairy said he believed that the country needs legislation that addresses terrorism. - Mkini