Man held for organising LTTE gathering

DAP's M Kulasegaran wants the MIC to highlight the arrest of the man, under the Sedition Act, to the Cabinet

PETALING JAYA: A man has been arrested under the Sedition Act for organising a gathering in Kulim, Kedah, on Saturday to mark the birthday of Tamil Tigers chief V Prabhakaran, who was killed by Sri Lankan forces.

DAP national vice-chairman M Kulasegaran urged the police to publicly state whether the Liberation of Tamil Tigers (LTTE) was banned in Malaysia.

The Ipoh Barat MP quoted Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar as saying: “What has this terrorist (Prabhakaran) got to do with our country? Why try to invite people to glorify a terrorist?”

“I’m puzzled by the IGP’s remarks and maybe he has been wrongly advised and does not comprehend the meaning of freedom fighters, Kula said in a press statement today.

“In the case of Prabhakaran, he was agitating for self-determination of his people in the east of Sri Lanka due to discrimination, killings and disappearance of his people.

“Is the IGP aware of the alleged war crimes, genocide, ethnic-cleansing and crimes against humanity committed by the Sri Lanka government during the Sri Lanka civil war?” asked Kulasegaran.

Don’t be repressive’

He said about 80,000 Tamils had been killed in the civil war.

“Are we to condone the gross abuse of human rights when the Sri Lanka government has been openly rebuked by many countries on this issue?” he asked.

He added that when the ‘No Fire Zone documentary was screened at the Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall (KLCAH) in July, the organisers were arrested and charged.

“It is a known fact that the Sri Lankan embassy had written and met the KLCAH officials to demand the cancellation of the screening a day before the event.

“Is the Sri Lankan embassy the black hand in the recent Kulim arrest?” asked Kulasegaran.

He also questioned whether two the MIC ministers would raise the matter in the cabinet meeting.

“We need more open democratic space. Discussions of sensitive issues should not be curtailed and swept under the carpet.

“Don’t be repressive. We are still not a matured democracy after achieving Independence 56 years ago. The last thing we require is the unnecessary ‘safety net’ from the police,” said Kulasegaran.