The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), a Malaysian rights group, has "links" with India's "militant organisation" Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Malaysian minister has alleged.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Aziz said "the groups are Sri Lanka's LTTE and the RSS, a militant organisation in India", The Star newspaper said Saturday.
Nazri said this was from statements of Hindraf leaders "who went overseas to garner support that they would meet LTTE leaders".
The supposed links with the LTTE, declared a terrorist group in the US, Britain,India and other countries, could lead to a ban on Hindraf, which spearheaded a massive protest by ethnic Indians last Sunday, a media report said Saturday quoting Attorney General (AG) Abdul Gani Patail.
However, Hindraf leader P. Uthayakumar has denied that his organization has established any contact with the LTTE and has termed the government charge "baseless" and part of a campaign.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Friday asked the country's police chief Musa Hasan to "keep a watch" on Hindraf, a group claiming to represent Indian immigrants, whose 10,000-strong protest rally on Nov 25 was declared illegal.
Badawi said should their action threaten national security, the Internal Security Act (ISA) could be used. He said he was aware of Hindraf canvassing for support and help from terrorist groups and local gangsters.
"I was informed. My instructions to the police is that the group should be monitored. ISA is an option. I will decide when the time is right. If they are deemed (as a threat to national security) we will know what to do."
The police had started their investigation following a report lodged by a member of the public, Patail said outside the Shah Alam High Court here Friday.
"The danger is that this group (LTTE) has been officially declared a terrorist organisation," The New Straits Times newspaper quoted him as saying.
"I think everybody in the world will be worried about such connection," Patail said, adding that he would wait for the police to complete their investigation before deciding on the next course of action.
"Links To Terrorists", The Sun newspaper said in its front-page report Saturday.
Hindraf claims to speak for the Indian community that roughly forms eight percent of Malaysia's 27 million population, that also has a large Chinese component. Its claim is contested by other Indian organizations.
Thirtyone persons, denied bail, are being prosecuted in a court for their participation in the Nov 25 rally.
The prosecution has cited interviews given by Uthayakumar and his brother P. Waytha Murthy, to newspapers in Singapore and India. Murthy is currently in India trying to garner support among political leaders.
Meanwhile, the high court adjourned to Monday a criminal revision application made by the public prosecutor following a discharge given to Uthayakumar, Waytha Moorthy and T. Ganabathirau for allegedly making seditious remarks in public.
Judicial commissioner Hashim said he was allowing the application only on grounds that the counsel representing the three needed more time to prepare its submission.
"I am only allowing the adjournment because one of the counsel had raised an important legal issue of whether a discharge not amounting to an acquittal by a lower court could be reviewed by a high court," Hashim said.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment