The Malaysian Insight

THE detention of 12 people, including two DAP assemblymen, over alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is not to weaken any party or group, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said police detentions under the Security Offences and Special Measures Act (Sosma) were done without interference from the administration.

“The government wants to know why this has happened. We do not like to use power to weaken anybody.

“I am not detaining them, not (Home Minister) Muhyiddin (Yassin)  who is doing it.  Police are doing this and it is being done according to the law,’ he told reporters in Langkawi today.

On Thursday, two DAP representatives, Gadek assemblyman G. Saminathan, who is also a Malacca executive councillor, and Seremban Jaya assemblyman P. Gunasekaran, were among the first batch of seven people arrested in the LTTE probe.

Another five were arrested yesterday, bringing the total to 12.

All arrests so far have taken place in Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Kedah, Penang and Kuala Lumpur.

Sosma for allows detention for up to 28 days without a charge.

Dr Mahathir said Pakatan Harapan will study if the detentions will have an impact on the pact chances in the imminent Tanjung Piai by-election.

“If there will be any political effect we have to study. We have to look at their background (the two DAP assemblymen detained).” he added. – Octotber 13, 2019.