In a new twist to the ongoing spat between Malaysian authorities and agitating ethnic Indians, the government has accused protesters of seeking help from "terrorists and local gangsters" including the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a charge the campaigners said was an attempt to put them in jail under an archaic internal security law.

Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan said recent investigations have revealed that the campaign group, Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), "has been actively canvassing for support and assistance from terrorist groups".

The links were discovered following intense police investigations in the past six months into Hindraf's activities, reports said.

"They are also lobbying for international support from India, the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Nations and Europe," Hassan said in a statement, accusing the group of giving a "twisted and distorted picture" to the international community on the status of Indians in Malaysia.

Hindraf has accused the government of sidelining and denying the rights of the Indian community in the economic, education and public sectors.

Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail went a step further, accusing Hindraf of suspected collusion with Sri Lanka's [Images] LTTE.

"Everybody in the world is worried if there is an LTTE connection," he said, adding that police were investigating the issue.