Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has confirmed writing a letter to then-home minister Muhyiddin Yassin asking for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to no longer be classified as a terrorist group.
However, he denied that the letter, which surfaced over the weekend, meant he supported the LTTE.
"I don't support the LTTE [...] The problem occurred because of Sri Lanka, not us. There is no need for us to take action like that (blacklisting) unless they do bad things in Malaysia.
"Maybe they collected funds, but they did that before too," he said at a press conference in Putrajaya.
In the letter to Muhyididn penned on Feb 12, Mahathir said he did not see any reason for the LTTE to remain classified as a terrorist organisation when Sri Lanka no longer did so.
Last year 12 people including two DAP assemblypersons were detained for alleged links to the LTTE.
Critics have questioned the decision, as the LTTE became defunct in 2009 after it was defeated by the Sri Lankan army.
The charges against the LTTE 12 have been dropped and a judicial review to remove the group from the Home Ministry's terror list is expected to be delivered on Sept 17.
In his letter, Mahathir also questioned why Hamas leaders were welcome in Malaysia despite them being classified as a terrorist group too.
In his press conference today, the former prime minister said this did not mean that he personally considered Hamas a terrorist group.
Instead, he said he was friends with senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. - Mkini
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