Malaysia’s approach to neo-LTTE groups and the break-down of justice at Mullaitivu Neeraviyadi Pillayar Kovil and Buddhist temple.
Posted on October 13th, 2019

Bodhi Dhanapala, Quebec, Canada

News reports (e.g., Island 12-Oct-2019) tell us how the Malaysian anti-terrorist unit is handling nascent Neo-LTTE groups when it arrested seven operatives including two members of parliament (Law makers).

Malaysian  news reports the arrests of seven LTTE operatives in Malaysia. Two Malaysian Tamil lawmakers are among the seven arrested. Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter-terrorism Division (E8) principal assistant director, Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay says,
To the police, it does not matter who the individual is. Anyone found to be involved in terrorism activities, regardless of their political party, religion, race, if there is evidence that they are involved in terrorism activities, we will arrest them,”


Two of the people arrested were those who had attacked the Sri Lankan high commissioner in 2016.  Others had pro-LTTE material, or attempted to organize Hero’s day  to commemorate Prabhakaran”.

Mr. Sampanthan, and also Mr. Wigneswarn since 2013, and many other TNA law makers had made  statements eulogizing Prabhakaran and  pushed the Ideology of the late Terrorist leader. Hero’s day celebrations have been held repeatedly. Last year a UNP law maker stated that the LTTE has to be revived. Such statements would have landed these law makers in Jail if they had been in Malaysia.
So we see how the law of this country is being applied, even in regard to an extremely serious offence equivalent to propagating the ideology of Prabhakaran.

This break down in law seems to be a part of the rule of the TNA in the North. But now, Mr. Sampanthan has raised the issue of the cremation of a Buddhist monk in an area contested by a Palliyar Kovil and a Buddhist Temple. A judge in Mullative has rules against it although the cremation had been done, without even waiting for the judgment, by trying to make it a fait accompli.

How can Mr. Sampanthan and other TNA leaders now come to Colombo and complain in Parliament saying that the law is not obeyed? If they themselves can break the law with impunity in promoting Prabhakaran’s ideology at every public meeting they hold,  their complaints ring hollow. How can the lawyers of the Northern Province protest in unison when they keep mum about the break down in law tantamount to treason as seen by the people in the south? This is what the foreign funded NGOs in Colombo claim to be Sinhala-Buddhist” hegemony!

The heavy-handed Bodu-Bala-Sena” of  Ven. Gnanasara displays the very antithesis of the behavior expected from a Buddhist monk who is expected to be calm, disciplined, always practicing compassion even to his enemies, and even under provocation. So the BBS is simply a political force.

According to an article in the Sunday Island by its political correspondent Chandraperuma, the BBS is also an NGO with initial links to Champika Ranawaka and the West. It is alleged to be  initially funded and supported by the Nordic peace makers” and the US. The US granted Gnanasara a five-year visa and invited him over to visit the US, after his visit to Norway.


So, was the Palliyar Kovil-Temple incident staged to create anger and discord at the dawn of a presidential election? Is this a way of saying, this is what will happen under a Sinhala-Buddhist dominated” Gotabhaya government?

To classify all actions that someone  doesn’t like as Sinhala-Buddhist” actions is  similar to tarring all blacks as criminals, or all Scots as stingy, et, etc., i.e., a racist mind  set where one group is identified.
However, such actions (desecrating temples, chopping of the heads of Buddha statues, sticking Tridents  on  ruined Stupas) are found among other groups as well, and they are NOT group actions. Unfortunately all you have to is to read some of the rantings that you find in Ground-Views or Colombo Telegraph to see that racism directed against Sinhala Buddhists is alive and well in Sri Lanka.

Bodhi Dhanapala, Quebec.

One Response to “Malaysia’s approach to neo-LTTE groups and the break-down of justice at Mullaitivu Neeraviyadi Pillayar Kovil and Buddhist temple.”

  1. Randeniyage Says:

    Where was this money supposed to go ? Sri Lankan government should trace the individuals supposed to receive this money and origin of the large sum of money. Was it for UNP’s Election costs ? or for another Party ?

    Police detect financial transactions to activate LTTE – Ayob Khan
    Last update: 13/10/2019
    KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — Police today disclosed that financial transactions involving huge sum of money have been carried out, believed to activate the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) group in the country.

    Bukit Aman’s Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division (E8) principal assistant director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the financial transactions were detected in the accounts of individuals detained in the operations carried out on Thursday and Saturday (Oct 10 and 12) over their alleged involvement in LTTE.

    “From the investigations carried out at the suspects’ premises and checked on their mobile phones, police have seized flags, posters, pictures of LTTE leaders and detected financial transactions involving a huge sum of money.

    “The financial transactions are believed to fund the promotional activities, recruitment and mobilisation of LTTE programmes in the country,” he said at a press conference in Bukit Aman today.

    Declined to elaborate on the actual amount involved in the transactions, he said police also found that the LTTE has branches in every state.

    “There is a movement trying to activate the LTTE and that’s why the police are making the arrest to stop it from expanding.

    “There are two suspects among those detained who are planning to launch a ‘lone wolf’ attack in the country, for example, they had injured Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Malaysia Ibrahim Sahib Ansar in 2016,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Ayob Khan stressed that the arrest had nothing to do with any political party but it was a terrorist issue.

    “The arrests were made because they support the violence and the police will not tolerate anyone, no matter which political party (they belong to). The police will continue to investigate and if there is any basis and evidence, a follow-up will be made,” he said.

    He also warned that those involved in financing and supporting the LTTE are now on the radar of Special Branch’s Counter Terrorism unit.

    Asked why two detained state assemblymen were not asked to give their statement first, Ayob Khan said: “This is a security matter and if they were asked to give statement first, they would give a ‘statement on surface’ apart from the police would not have the right to carry out search.

    Commenting on the publication of the pictures of those LTTE-linked individuals that went viral, he said police did not arbitrarily detain any individuals.

    He also explained that it was not a crime to sympathise with the fate of the Tamil ethnic group in Sri Lanka, but it was wrong to support the LTTE.

    “The LTTE has been declared a terrorist group … why should we support this group” he said.

    A total of 12 individuals including two assemblymen were arrested on Thursday and Saturday (Oct 10 and Oct 12) over alleged involvement in the LTTE including supporting and channelling funds to the group.

    The LTTE has been listed as a terrorist group in Malaysia since 2014.

    — BERNAMA

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