Photo courtesy: ABC Indonesia hopes to obtain Interpol assistance to investigate into the alleged links between the convicted drug smuggler of Tamil origin Mayuran Sukumaran and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the militant group fighting for a separate state in Sri Lanka. Sukumaran was found guilty of trying to smuggle heroin from Bali to Australia and was sentenced to death yesterday. Mayuran Sukumaran was one of the two masterminds of a drug smuggling carter and he was arrested together with eight others. The so-called `Bali nine` were arrested last April, trying to smuggle more than 8.2kg (18lb) of heroin to Sydney. Sukumarn and the other ringleader were sentenced to death on Tuesday, and four others have been given life terms. Australian Prime Minister John Howard, referring o the death sentence, said the group`s actions had been `stupid`, and said the verdicts were a warning to others. But he said his government would still seek clemency for the two men sentenced to death. Tach Duc Thanh Nguyen, 28, Matthew Norman, 19, and Si Yi Chen, 21, were all sentenced to life in jail by the Denpasar court on Wednesday. Other members of the group were detained at Bali`s airport with drugs strapped to their waists, as they were about to board a flight to Sydney. On Tuesday the court sentenced the two organisers of the smuggling ring - Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran - to death by firing squad. The other gang members - Martin Stephens, Michael Czugaj, Renae Lawrence and Scott Rush - have been given life terms. According to Interpol sources in Colombo, London and several other capitals, there are more than 100 Tamil militants serving jail terms in Europe for drug smuggling. `Some of the leaders are definitely LTTE cadres,` the source said. The LTTE started drug smuggling from the `Golden triangle` to Europe and North America, Interpol sources said. Indonesia has increasingly become a transit route for drug traffickers, and courts across the country have toughened up on offenders in recent years, sentencing several foreigners to death for large scale drug smuggling. Source: Asiantribune |
While Myuran Sukumaran faces the death penalty for drug trafficking in Indonesia, his sister Brintha and mother Raji struggle to cope. They still have hope that his fate is not yet sealed.
Source: ABC
No comments:
Post a Comment