I felt like I was in heaven, says rep's daughter on LTTE decision

Annun Nancy Gunasekaran could not contain her excitement over the news that Attorney-General Tommy Thomas has decided to drop the proceedings against her father.

“It has been more than 140 days. I am actually exhausted. I spent the entire day submitting memorandums and so forth.

“But upon hearing that my father would be released, I felt like I was in heaven. My mother has also prepared 'turmeric water' to welcome my father home,” she told Malaysiakini this evening.

Annun is hoping her father, Seremban Jaya assemblyperson P Gunasekaran, would be released as soon as possible.

The DAP assemblyperson was among 12 men detained for wanting to revive the defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) movement in October.

Also detained was DAP's G Saminathan, a Malacca exco member and the assemblyperson for Gadek.

Detainee's wife: Justice has prevailed

Meanwhile, the wives of three other detainees, B Subramaniam, V Balamuragan and A Kalaimugilan are also looking forward to meeting their husbands.

"Before this, I was full of disappointment and sadness. But this a moment of immense joy for our family," said Subramaniam's wife, Lalitha Nagappan.

"Justice has prevailed. We have always said there is no evidence in relation to the charges. This is now proven to be true," she told Malaysiakini.

Balamurugan's wife, Gowri Jayaraman, said all their efforts to secure the release of their loved ones have been successful.

"I hope the authorities will free my husband immediately. There should be no more delay. I am so happy with this decision," she added.

Kalaimugilan's wife Tamilmalar Masilamani said she is grateful to Thomas and is relieved that their voices have been heard.

"What is important now is to move on with our lives after this painful period. We need to start over," she added.

Earlier, Thomas (photo) announced that he has exercised his constitutional powers to discontinue proceedings against the 12 with immediate effect.

He said the common thread among all of them was that they simply had photos of slain LTTE leaders such as Velupillai Prabhakaran in their phones or Facebook accounts.

“It is commonplace to have idols to whom hero worship is displayed. It is not just pop stars, sportsmen or actors who are admired: historical personalities and politicians are often the subject of adoration.

“Thus, millions of people across the globe admire Lenin, Stalin, Mao Tze Dong or Che Guevara, and the like. Having their photos and other representations in one's mobile phone or on a Facebook account does not transform one to being a terrorist.

“Just because each of these leaders used terror or violence to achieve their political goals does not mean that an ardent supporter online should be regarded as a terrorist or is planning a terrorist act,” he added. - Mkini