The recent arrest of 12 individuals over their alleged links to the Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam (LTTE) is the work of controversial preacher Zakir Naik’s supporters, said Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy.
Ramasamy accused the Indian born preacher’s camp and “forces” of creating fake news about the revival of the LTTE in Malaysia to divert attention from India’s bid to extradite him on charges of money-laundering.
Zakir is a permanent resident here and Putrajaya said last night it will be writing to inform India of its decision not to send the fugitive preacher back to his country of birth.
Ramasamy told The Malaysian Insight said there are “forces” working in the direction of reviving the LTTE threat to distract from other issues.
“There are agencies who want to assert their authority (with regard to these arrests),” he said.
Zakir’s supporters created doctored Facebook postings which implicated the 12 individuals, including two DAP assemblymen, of attempting to revive the LTTE in the country, Ramasamy said.
“There was no actual threat, the LTTE is now defunct for almost 10 years.
“Zakir Naik is one factor of this resurrection. After our opposition to him, his followers started spreading lies that I was LTTE from my Facebook page,” he said.
These “forces” doctored photographs of these people taking part in war memorials, dubbing these as LTTE “revival events”, he said.
“Zakir’s supporters created face book postings that were cleverly doctored to reveal images of local Indian leaders taking part in the so-called ‘LTTE events’.”
Ramasamy also commented on DAP assemblyman P Gunasekaran’s two additional charges which were dropped at the Sessions Court in Seremban yesterday.
“Why charge him? It was redundant. I’m hoping that the rest of his charges and others will also be dropped.
“It’s ludicrous to stick these charges against them. These people wouldn’t hurt a fly,” he said.
Attorney-General Tommy Thomas said yesterday the two additional charges were dropped because he is already facing similar charges.
The DAP assemblyman could face life imprisonment if convicted of an earlier charge of supporting the defunct Tamil separatist group.
“So, there is no need for overkill. It is, therefore, a lie to claim that all charges against Gunasekaran were dropped.”
On October 29, Gunasekaran was charged at the Malacca Sessions Court with supporting LTTE and was slapped with another charge at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court two days later. – TMI