Courtesy BERNAMA

Last update: 31/10/2019

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — Seremban Jaya state assemblyman P. Gunasekaran, Gadek (Melaka) assemblyman G. Saminathan and eight other men were brought to the Sessions Court again to face additional charges relating to the LTTE terrorist group.

On Oct 29, all of them were charged separately in Sessions Courts across several states. Today, the 10 men were taken to three Sessions Courts here to face the additional charges.

Two other men were also charged today, taking the total number of individuals charged to 12.

The prosecution filed two charges of lending support to the LTTE group through the use of social media applications Facebook and YouTube, as well as attending events related to the group, in accordance with Section 130J (1) (a) of the Penal Code which provides for life imprisonment, or for a term not exceeding 30 years, or a fine, and shall also be liable to forfeiture of any property used or intended to be used in connection with the commission of the offence, if found guilty.

They were also charged with possession of items related to the terrorist group under Section 130JB (1) (a) of the Penal Code which provides for an imprisonment of up to seven years, or a fine, and shall also be liable to forfeiture of the items, if found guilty of the offence.

In front of Judge Rozina Ayob, Saminathan, 34, taxi driver V. Balamurugan, 37, despatch rider S. Teeran, 38, and scrap metal dealer A. Kalaimughilan, 28, were each charged with supporting the LTTE through their respective Facebook accounts.

Saminathan was alleged to have used the alias ‘Gsami Nanthan Siva’, Balamurugan under the name ‘BALAMURUGAN VEERASAMY’, Teeran as ‘TAMMIL KANNAMAH’ and Kalaimughilan as ‘Kalai Mugilan’.

They were charged with committing the offences at the Bukit Aman Special Branch Investigations Division E8 (M) Counter-Terrorism Office, here, on Oct 7 and Oct 8, 2019, at different times of 9 am, 10 am and 9.30 pm.

Teeran was also charged with possessing items related to the LTTE at level B2 of the Mandarin Pacific Hotel parking lot at Jalan Sultan here, at 11.40 am on Oct 10.

Kalaimughilan also faces a charge of lending support to the LTTE via the YouTube application at 10 am, June 2, 2014, at the same location.

He was also charged with supporting the group during a ceremony at the Tan Sri Soma Hall in Wisma Tun Sambanthan, No 2, Jalan Sultan Sulaiman, Kampung Attap, here between 8 pm and 11.30 pm on March 17, 2014.

Both charges were filed in accordance with Section 130J (1) (a) of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, chief executive officer of a corporation S. Chandru, 38, technician S. Arivainthan, 27, storekeeper S.Thanagaraj, 26, security guard M. Pumugan, 29, and a national secondary school teacher in Telok Panglima Garang, Selangor, Sundram Renggan @ Rengasamy, 52, were charged in front of Judge Azman Ahmad.

All of them were alleged to have supported the LTTE using their Facebook accounts with the aliases ‘Ariventhan Subramaniam’, ‘Sivam Tamilarasan’, ‘Pumugan Tamilan’, ‘Chandru Suparmaniam’ and ‘Elilan Elilan’.

They were each charged with committing the offence at the Office of E8(M) Investigating Officer of the Special Branch Bukit Aman, here, at 9 am and 3 pm, between Jan 11 and Oct 11 this year.

In front of Judge Azura Alwi, Gunasekaran and Kalaimughilan were charged with additional charges related to the group.

Meanwhile, DAP member V. Suresh Kumar, 43, and businessman B. Subramaniam, 57, were brought to the Sessions Court here for the first time in connection to the LTTE.

Gunasekaran, Suresh Kumar and Subramaniam were each charged with supporting the LTTE via their respective Facebook accounts using the names ‘DAP Guna Palanisamy’, ‘RocketSuresh DAP’, and ‘US SUBRA SUBRAMANIAM’.

They were separately charged with committing the offences at the Investigating Officers’ office of the Bukit Aman Special Branch (Counter Terrorism) here on Oct 7 and Oct 11, 2019 at 2 pm, 5.30 pm and 6 pm.

Kalaimughilan was also charged with knowingly distributing items connected to the LTTE at the Tan Sri Soma Hall in Wisma Tun Sambanthan, No 2, Jalan Sultan Sulaiman, Kampung Attap, here, between 8 pm to 11.30 pm on March 17, 2014.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad and Aslinda Ahad offered no bail to all the accused, citing their detention under the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA).

However, Ramkarpal Singh applied for the court to use its discretion to allow his client bail and applied for the bail application to be referred to the High Court.

The court set tomorrow for a decision over the matter.

On Oct 29, Saminathan, Gunasekaran and Chandru were charged at the Melaka Sessions Court with supporting the LTTE during a ceremony at Dewan Kasturi Ayer Keroh, Jalan Utama, Taman Ayer Keroh Heights here from 8.30 pm to 10.50 pm on Nov 28, 2018.

Saminathan was also charged with another charge of possessing items related to the terrorist group on a mobile phone.

Chandru was also charged with possession of materials related to the group at the Alor Gajah Sessions Court in Melaka.

At the Kuala Kangsar Sessions Court, Arivainthan and Balamurugan were charged with lending support to the LTTE during an event at the Sungai Siput (Utara) branch Kuala Kangsar Municipal Council Hall between 6.30 pm and 11.45 pm on Dec 28, 2014.

At the Selayang Sessions Court, Kalaimughilan was charged with two counts of possessing items related to the LTTE, and in Segamat, Johor, Teeran was charged with a similar offence.

Sundram Renggan, who is an English and Physics teacher, was charged at the Sepang Sessions Court in Selangor with a similar offence.

At the Butterworth Sessions Court in Penang, Pumugan and Thanagaraj each faced two similar counts.

All the courts set Nov 18 and Dec 16 for mention.

No pleas were recorded from the accused as they are being held under SOSMA and cases under SOSMA are tried in the High Court.

Their pleas will be recorded in the High Court later.

All the accused are being held at the Sungai Buloh Prison.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad said bail was not allowed for all four accused on the grounds that their detention was under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012 which does not allow bail.

Counsel S. Selvam, who represented Subramaniam asked that the case be immediately moved to the High Court on the grounds that there were legal issues which must be decided and an application made for the court to listen to the appeal from his client who alleged that he had been abused while in detention and investigated by the police for 20 days.

Muhamad Iskandar however said that the application was not relevant as on Oct 24, the Shah Alam High Court had rejected the habeas corpus application by the accused and there were no grounds for the court to consider the application from the counsel.

Counsel Ramkarpal Singh, who represented Gunasekaran and Suresh Kumar asked that his two clients be allowed bail on the grounds that their detention under SOSMA was unconstitutional.

Counsel M. V. Yoges, who represented Kalaimughilan, said the charge faced by his client was flawed and pre-mature as the charge did not state specifically the item which is alleged to be connected to the LTTE.

“The offence is alleged to have been committed in 2014 but why is it only now that my client has been charged in court,” he said, questioning the element where the accused had threatened national security was not stated in the charge.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Izhanudin Alias replied that the charge against the accused was clear about threatening national security and the prosecution will obtain reports from experts to prove that an offence had been committed.

On Kalaimughilan who was charged in court today whereas the offence was committed in 2014, Mohd Izhanudin said it was correct that the offence was committed in 2014, but the accused had just been arrested and he was brought to court today to be charged.

The court set tomorrow for hearing from both parties.

After the proceedings ended, a female relative of one of the accused suddenly collapsed, causing chaos in the court.

— BERNAMA