PETALING JAYA: DAP legal bureau chairman Ramkarpal Singh (pix) has urged Attorney-General, Tan Sri Tommy Thomas, to release the 12 people detained for alleged links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), after police said yesterday they have handed the investigation papers over to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
“There is no need for the detainees to be further detained although they have been remanded for a period of 28 days under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma),“ said Ramkarpal in a statement.
“No doubt, they can be charged for an offence under the Penal Code read with Sosma whereby bail can be refused. I, however, urge the AG to charge them in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code and offer them bail if he is of the view that there is sufficient evidence against them as refusing them bail serves no useful purpose as they are only suspected of committing an offence at this stage.”
In a statement yesterday Bukit Aman counter-terrorism division chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said police have submitted the papers to the Attorney-General’s Chambers on Wednesday after having wrapped up their investigations.
Ramkarpal said given that two of the detainees are elected representatives, “denying them bail pending trial would result in them being unable to serve their constituents.”
He was referring to Malacca exco member and Gadek assemblyman G. Saminathan, and Seremban Jaya assemblyman P. Gunasekaran, who were detaiend on Oct 10, for their alleged links to LTTE.
Ramkarpal also reiterated his calls for detainees to be charged in open court under the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).
“If the authorities are so confident of the purported evidence it possesses against the said detainees, there shouldn’t be a problem charging them pursuant to the CPC without the need to resort to the draconian provisions of Sosma during their trials, which I maintain, ought to be repealed, particularly in light of the Harapan government’s promise to do so in its GE14 election manifesto,“ added Ramkarpal.
“In the circumstances, I urge the AG to either charge the said detainees under the CPC and offer them bail pending trial or release them forthwith. It is imperative for the AG to recognise that the deprivation of the liberty of the said detainees is a gross violation of their human rights if later found to be unlawful.”
