UN concerned at Malaysia exiling 3 men accused of trying to revive Tamil Tiger rebels

The United Nations (UN) have said that it is concerned at Malaysia banishing three men, who were accused of trying to revive the Tamil Tiger rebel group to Sri Lanka.

UN has reportedly warned that the men, out of which two were refuges and another was seeking asylum, were now at risk of 'serious harm'.

According to the BBC, the three men have been accused of raising funds and spreading propaganda for the Tamil Tiger rebels, who were defeated by Sri Lanka's army in the north of the country in 2009.

At least 10,000 people are reportedly estimated to have been killed in Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war that ended with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, also known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in 2009.

The UN's refuge agency UNHCR, who had asked the Malaysian government to delay the deportation of the men, said in a statement that they are deeply concerned that these deportations took place without their office being given an adequate opportunity to assess the security issues and the refugees' entitlement to ongoing refugee protection.

However, Sri Lankan police spokesman Ajith Rohana denied that the men were in danger, saying that they were 'protected' and being given access to their next-of-kin, adding that the men were being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Although the government has put the figure at 9,000, a UN investigation said that it was possible up to 40,000 people had been killed in the last few months of the war, the report added.