Media Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader and DAP MP for Ipoh Timur Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Friday, 11th January 2008:

Police should stop harassing and intimidating donors of Hindraf on the spurious ground that they are funding a terrorist organization

The police should stop harassing and intimidating donors of Hindraf on the spurious ground that they are funding a terrorist organization.

Malaysiakini reported two days ago that the police are summoning donors of Hindraf “over a possible offence of funding a terrorist organization”, grounding their investigations under Section 130N of the Penal Code on the “funding of terrorist activities”.

The penalties for the offence are death (if the terrorist act results in death), imprisonment for a term of not less than seven years but not exceeding 30 years and a fine.

This is most absurd, especially as the MIC President and sole Indian Cabinet Minister for over 28 years; Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu had admitted in his recent visit to Tamil Nadu that the Malaysian government did not have any evidence that Hindraf had connection with Tamil Tigers or terrorists.

This is the Q & A on the NDTVG.com where Samy Vellu admitted that there is no evidence that Hindraf has terrorist links:

NDTV: Do you have any evidence to back your government’s charge that the Hindraf has links with terrorists?

D S Vellu: Hindraf said they would fight like the Tigers, the way the Tigers are fighting in Sri Lanka. It was by Vedamurthy. After he talked like that, we did an investigation and it was felt that he may have gone there for training.

NDTV: Do you have evidence of this?

D S Vellu: No. It is our suspicion.

In view of Samy Vellu’s admission that there is no evidence that Hindraf has any terrorist links, two steps must be taken immediately:

• DROP all police harassment and intimidation of Hindraf donors on the spurious grounds of funding a terrorist organization or this will be a most blatant and flagrant abuse of police powers to use the “terrorist” provisions in the Penal Code to create police “terror” of their own; and

• IMMEDIATE and unconditional release of the Hindraf Five, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, M. Manoharan, R. Kenghadharan and T. Vasantha Kumar now that they have been officially cleared of any terrorist links – even without having to wait for the Advisory Board hearings over their appeal against the ISA detention fixed on Monday.

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* Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur & DAP Central Policy and Strategic Planning Commission Chairman