MDMK chief Vaiko stopped at Kuala Lumpur airport, interrogated over links with LTTE

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ( MDMK) chief V Gopalswamy, better known as Vaiko, on Friday was stopped at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and questioned for several hours on his alleged links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reports said.  Vaiko he was also denied entry into Malaysia, according to ANI.

MDMK Chief Vaiko denied entry into Malaysia, stopped at Kuala Lumpur Airport, questioned for several hours on his alleged links with LTTE. pic.twitter.com/I1KRESGFW7

— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2017

As per another ANI tweet, Vaiko was invited by Penang’s deputy chief minister Ramasamy Palanisamy:

Vaiko was invited by Malaysian state Penang's deputy CM Ramasamy Palanisamy to attend his daughter's wedding on June 10.

— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2017

The party stated that when Vaiko landed at the Kuala Lumpur airport Friday morning, immigration authorities told him that he had been banned from entering the country since his name figured “in the list of persons dangerous to Malaysia.” Officials told him that “he belonged to the LTTE in Sri Lanka,” and quizzed him over the outfit, the party said.

When Vaiko was told that there were “several cases against him in Sri Lanka,” he denied it and told them that he was an Indian citizen and showed them his passport too.

According to The Times of India, several officials questioned Vaiko and his passport was seized. Vaiko was stopped at Kuala Lumpur airport at 6.30 am. The officials there told him that he could not enter the country since he had connections with the LTTE. The MDMK chief will be sent back to India in a flight that reaches Chennai at 10.45 pm on Friday, The Times of India reported further.

Despite Ramasamy and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s efforts, officials did not permit the pro-Tamil leader to enter Malaysia, saying they “have got an order from the office of Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister,” the party stated.

It is uncertain whether the detention could turn into a diplomatic incident, particularly since the invitation was received by Vaiko from a state-level elected representative of the Malaysian people, as reported by The International Business Times.

Earlier, in 2009, the MDMK chief was granted bail in a sedition case. A case against Vaiko was registered under IPC sections 124 (sedition) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, place of birth, residence, language). Later, Vaiko was then lodged in the Central Prison in Chennai. Financial Express reported that back then Vaiko refused to apply for bail although the magistrate had offered to release him. Hence, he was remanded in judicial custody.

In 2014, NDA ally, MDMK chief Vaiko and pro-Tamil outfits were seen celebrating the 60th birth anniversary of slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.  Other pro-Tamil leaders like Kolathur Mani issued celebratory messages on the occasion. Police said that several workers of MDMK were detained in Namakkal and Tirupur when an attempt was made to celebrate the birthday in important road junctions of the town without permission.

According to a previous article by Firstpost, Vaiko, to establish his own space, “wanted to gain popularity on the basis of LTTE…He wanted the LTTE’s support, since Tamil Nadu people are emotional, and they were behind the LTTE…He (Vaiko) even violated the law and came here and met Prabhakaran.”