TAWAU: The police have refuted claims that detainees linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been threatened or tortured while under incarceration.
Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said that the police have not engaged in any abusive activity towards the suspects, as has been claimed by Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament Ramkarpal Singh and other parties.
"I am firm that my staff would never do such things. (The detainees) were not abused.
“I am confident with the statement and explanation from my staff that all the detainees were provided their rights according to the law,” he said during the IGP Appreciation Certificate presentation ceremony at the Batalion 24 general task force here, today.
Nevertheless, Hamid has called on anyone with proof otherwise to come forward with their evidence.
“This (LTTE case) is just a case involving ideology, and not yet up to the level that requires military action. It is the same as Daesh (Islamic State).
“I have always emphasised to my staff that detainees should be given their rights and that they cannot be tortured.
"But if they assume getting into lockup is being tortured, then it is too bad. As it is the law,” he said.
Hamid also denied claims that police had used knives to threaten detainees to confess to their alleged offences, as “the authorities have the necessary evidence against them”.
Twelve people, including two assemblymen, were nabbed over alleged links to the LTTE last month.
The 12 men were detained by the Counter Terrorism Division (E8) on Oct 10 and 12 in various parts of the country.
They are Gadek assemblyman G. Saminathan, 34; V. Balamurugan, 37; postman S. Teeran, 38; scrap metal trader A. Kalaimughilan, 36; security officer M. Pumugan, 29; Malacca Green Technology Incorporated chief executive officer S. Chandru, 38; teacher R. Sundra, 52; technician S. Arivainthan, 27; storekeeper S. Thanagaraj, 26; Seremban Jaya assemblyman P. Gunasekaran, 60; and DAP members V. Sureshkumar, 43 and B. Subramaniam, 57.