KUALA LUMPUR: The assault against Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Malaysia Ibrahim Sahib Ansar at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Sunday, was an isolated incident triggered by political conflicts.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the incident had nothing to do with terrorism.
He said the necessary action has been taken against five people, currently in police custody.
Nur Jazlan also gave his assurance that Malaysia would not meddle in Sri Lanka’s affairs, and that the incident would not have any impact on Malaysia.
On Sunday, the Sri Lankan envoy was assaulted by a group of people at the KLIA. The incident was captured on the airport’s CCTV system.
Ibrahim was at the KLIA to send off Sri Lanka’s Primary Industries Minister, Daya Gamage, who had attended the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), in Kuala Lumpur.
Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had also attended the conference. His attendance had drawn protests and saw demonstrations held.
In response to the incident, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said police arrested five people over the assault.
The men, aged between 27 and 56, were picked up in Dengkil, Ipoh and KL.
Four more suspects have also been identified, and an operation was launched to bring them into custody.
Khalid said police are probing local groups to check on their possible links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka.
On a separate note, Nur Jazlan also addressed claims by PKR’s Padang Serai Member of Parliament N.Surendran, who had objected to the poor condition of prisons in the country.
Nur Jazlan said Malaysia’s prisons followed international standards and were adequate.
“We cannot make the jails too comfortable because it will defeat the purpose of teaching the criminals a lesson.
“Surendran is trying to politicise the issue because there is nothing else to do, so he had to create something new,” he said.
On Surendran’s apparent willingness to stay in Kajang Prison after an invitation was allegedly issued to him, Nur Jazlan said he was misinterpreted as only someone who commits a crime can go to prison.
The minister said his comment was merely a response to the remarks on the poor prison conditions.