Teacher, council man among 5 more held for ‘promoting’ LTTE

(FMT) – Police today confirmed they arrested five more individuals last night for “promoting” the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), bringing the total number of those held to 12 as the crackdown on the group’s alleged supporters continues.

Bukit Aman’s anti-terrorism chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the individuals were detained based on solid evidence for “promoting” the now-defunct Sri Lankan separatist group and “supporting” it through the media.

The arrests of the five follow those of seven other individuals earlier in the week, including Melaka exco member and Gadek assemblyman G Saminathan and Seremban Jaya assemblyman P Gunasekaran, both of DAP.

They had been arrested over their alleged involvement in LTTE activities.

Giving details of the latest arrests at a press conference, Ayob said the first individual – a teacher – was held in Teluk Panglima Garang, Selangor, for allegedly supporting LTTE through the media.

The second arrest, he said, was carried out in Durian Tunggal, Melaka. The 38-year-old executive officer with the Melaka Green Technology Corporation allegedly served as the organiser of activities and distributed LTTE-related leaflets.

Ayob said the third individual arrested is a Melaka city councilman.

The fourth is a factory worker from Penang held for promoting LTTE, while the fifth is a 29-year-old security supervisor who allegedly promoted the group through the media, he said.