Three Tamil Tigers suspects arrested in Malaysia extradited to Sri Lanka
Wednesday, 28 May 2014 00:00
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Three suspected Tamil Tigers arrested in Malaysia have been extradited to Sri Lanka where they are currently undergoing questioning, an official said here yesterday.
Police Spokesman Ajith Rohana was quoted by the Government Information Department (GID) as saying the three suspects were brought to Sri Lanka on Monday night by officials of the Terrorist Investigation Department.
Police arrested three foreign men suspected to be members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorist group in Selangor, Malaysia.
The suspects were nabbed at different locations in Klang and Petaling Jaya in a special operation conducted by the Special Branch’s Counter-Terrorism Division (CTD) on 15 May.
Malaysian Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar in a statement said the men, who hold UNHCR refugee cards, are suspected of attempting to revive the LTTE activities, especially at international level.
He said the suspects, who came here in 2004, were suspected of using this country as their base to spread the group’s propaganda as well as to collect funds for their activities.
“In the operation, police also found and seized LTTE propaganda materials, media equipment as well as foreign currencies from 24 nations. The suspects had been using UNHCR cards here to avoid from authorities’ action. Police will continue to work together with the UNHCR office here to ensure that their identity cards are not exploited by terrorists to hide or conduct any terrorism act, whether against this nation or others,” he said.
The suspects were being detained under the Immigration Act to facilitate investigations.
Since the end of a three-decade war with the LTTE in 2009 the Government has been working hard to crack down on remnants in other countries.
Earlier this year the Army killed a LTTE operative and two others who authorities said were attempting to revive the LTTE in the northern part of the island.
On 1 April the Government also controversially banned 26 international organisations they claim have links to the LTTE.
