KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — A PAS MP opened his question to the health minister today with a poem that appeared to ridicule Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders linked with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

In it, Pengkalan Chepa MP Ahmad Marzuk Shaary also criticised PH leaders who previously compared the Umno-PAS alliance to the ultra-conservative Taliban faction from Afghanistan.

"Honourable Speaker, I begin with a poem.

"Raya Haji, Raya Korban, dari Pontian ke Pulau Sedili. Kamu kata kami Taliban, rupanya kamu pejuang LTTE (Raya Haji, Raya Korban, from Pontian to Sedili Island. You called us Taliban, turns out, you’re LTTE fighters),” Ahmad said without naming anyone.

His attempt drew no response save for an unseen mutter calling the move "stupid”.

On Thursday, Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter-terrorism Division principal assistant director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay confirmed that Seremban Jaya assemblyman P. Gunasekaran and Gadek assemblyman G. Saminathan were among seven people arrested on suspicion of supporting the LTTE. That number has since risen to 12.

Two other DAP leaders, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy and Human Resource Minister M. Kulasegaran, were also linked to organisation owing to photos of them with supporters of the group.

The LTTE was a separatist group that had been active in Sri Lanka until it was officially defeated 2009. It has been classified as a terrorist group by 32 countries including Malaysia, which did so in 2014.

Bukit Aman’s counter-terrorism unit has detained the 12 alleged Malaysian LTTE supporters under a security law that allows detention without trial.