Malaysians hunt for LTTE terror

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian authorities are on the hunt for more members of the outlawed LTTE after a crackdown on the militant group led to the arrest of seven persons in the last two months in the country.

Four suspected Tamil Tigers, including a man allegedly involved in the 1999 assassination attempt on the then Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, were arrested on Thursday. The detention of the four in Serdang, Sentul, Sungai Besi and central Kuala Lumpur brings the total number of Sri Lankan Tamils arrested here in the last two months to seven.

Three others were arrested on May 15. Police here believe the Tamil Tigers were trying to revive their movement using Malaysia as a transit point, hideout and a new base of operation. The police has not yet divulged the names of the four LTTE men arrested on Thursday but have confirmed that one was a bomb expert while another was involved in the attempted assassination of Kumaratunga in 1999.

The suspects, aged 32, 37, 43 and 45, were believed to be responsible for past attacks in Sri Lanka. Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the four were suspected of attempting to revive the LTTE movement. The four were living in Malaysia since 2009.