KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — Four Sri Lankans were detained in raids near Kuala Lumpur on Thursday on suspicion of ties to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the separatist militant organisation that was crushed by the Sri Lankan government in 2009 after a 26-year city war.
Several fake passports and Malaysian Immigration Department rubber stamps were among the items confiscated during the raids.
The four men were allegedly trying to use Malaysia as a transit, shelter, and centre for their operations as well as to spread Tamil Tigers propaganda to other Southeast Asian countries.
Of the four arrested, one is believed to have been involved in the assassination attempt of a former Sri Lanka president, Chandrika Kumaratunga, in 1999. The second is believed to be a bomb expert. The third is suspected to have been involved in attacks on Sri Lanka consulates in India, while the last one is accused of gathering intel for the group.
The arrests come after three other suspects were arrested in May. The three men were deported back to Sri Lanka, where authorities say they remain under investigation. — Reuters
