KUALA LUMPUR: A DAP lawyer today officially applied for the release of five individuals, including its two assemblymen for allegedly supporting Sri Lanka-based militant group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
This after Ramkarpal Singh, who is the party legal bureau national chairman had challenged the arrest by filing a habeas corpus (wrongful detention) application against the five at the High Court in their bid to re-examine the 28-day remand order under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
The five are M. Gunasekaran, 60; G. Saminathan, 34; S. Chandru, 38; V. Suresh Kumar, 43; and S. Arivainthan, 56.
Gunasekaran and Saminathan are assemblymen for Gadek and Seremban Jaya respectively, while Chandru and Suresh Kumar are DAP members.
Arivainathan is only identified as a technician.
Ramkarpal, who is Bukit Gelugor member of parliament said the detention had deprived the five individuals of their liberty.
“They approached me to be their counsel and I decided to accept it.
“We met them once since their detention period to get their signatures for the affidavits.
“So far their condition are okay and they are very firm on their stand (on their alleged involvement in LTTE).
“We are confident there is a good chance for us to succeed in this application,” he said after filing the application.
Also present during the filing were Jelutong member of parliament R.S.N Rayer and the five’s family members.
In the application, the five named Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division principal assistant director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, Inspector Jasveer Singh, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador, the Home Ministry and the government as the respondents.
Ramkarpal filed the application together with a certificate of urgency and an affidavit in support for all the five for their immediate release, signed by all of them.
On Oct 10, police arrested seven men for allegedly supporting, promoting, recruiting, funding and being in possession of items related to LTTE.
Ayob was quoted as saying the arrests were made during a series of operations in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Kedah and Melaka between 9am and 2pm.
He also revealed that the assemblymen were detained for supporting the ideology of LTTE, which had been classified as a terrorist group in Malaysia since 2014.
Ayob reiterated that E8 was not prejudicial as claimed by certain parties, as police had launched operations against other militant groups such as Islamic State (IS), Jemaah Islamiyah and Sikh militant organisation, Babbar Khalsa.
He said the action taken was to cripple the expansion of LTTE in the country.
