Interpol helps to curb terrorist activities in M’sia
LAHAD DATU: Malaysia will be discussing with Interpol whether to continue with the Maharlika operation which ended on November 15, as it had been seen to be effective in curbing the entry of terrorist elements into the country.
Director of Internal Security and Public Order, Datuk Seri Zulkifli Abdullah, said the decision to continue is based on the effectiveness of assistance provided by Interpol, particularly in the use of technology.
Zulkifli said the collaboration between Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Philippines with Interpol during the Maharlika operation had an impact, particularly in the serious attitude of the four countries in dealing with the terrorist issue.
All the parties have indicated that they are pleased with the effectiveness of this operation, including Interpol which had offered to continue to provide assistance,” he said.
Zulkifli said this during a press conference after chairing a meeting on the operational coordination between Royal Malaysian Police and the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) yesterday.
During the press conference, Zulkifli disclosed that 103 arrests have been made during the twoweek operation in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) that was launched on November 1 in Sandakan.
Zulkifli said the arrests of ten Malaysians, 37 Indonesians and 56 from the Philippines were made under the AntiTrafficking in Persons and AntiSmuggling of Migrants Act 2007, the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Control of Supplies Act 1961, the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, the Customs Act 1967 and the Fisheries Act 1985.
He said that during the operation, more than 2,000 checks were made on stolen/lost travel documents (SLTD) and more than 2,700 checks were made on vehicles, cargo and ships.
“We had also inspected more than 15,000 individual identification data through the National Database and almost 4,000 identification documents were inspected through the Interpol Nominal Database,” he said.
Zulkifli added the Maharlika operation was initiated to combat terrorism, in particular, crossborder crimes and to prevent movements of criminals in the region.
The operation, he said, also aimed to give clear signal to the criminals that these countries are serious in efforts to curb their activities.
Meanwhile, Zulkifli said cooperation between Malaysia and the neighboring countries is improving and this relationship is important to circumvent any threats to the country.
He added that the close cooperation between these countries had led to several successes, including the defeat of certain groups in the Philippines following the information shared by Malaysia. This close cooperation, he said, also had an impact on the parties that are trying to enter our country.
In the meantime, Zulkifli said he was satisfied with the close cooperation, in terms of operations between ESSCom and the State police in ensuring that Sabah security is upheld.
He said since December last year, no kidnapping for ransom case had been recorded following the proactive measures implemented by ESSCom and the police with the involvement of other agencies.
“We will look on how to improve the operation to further ensure the safety and security of the state,” he said, adding that the public should also assist the security forces by channeling information of any suspicious activities.
Also present were Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Ramli Din and ESSCom commander DCP Datuk Hazani Ghazali.