Thumbs-up to Counter-Messaging Communications Centre

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday gave the thumbs-up to the Regional Digital Counter- Messaging Communications Centre ( CMC) hosted by Malaysia that went into operation fully last month.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister said he was satisfied with the operation of the centre which had established coordination with the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for CounterTerrorism, an agency under the Foreign Ministry.

“We will also work with the King Salman Centre for International Peace, meaning we do not operate in a silo.

“All information will be channelled to Aseanapol and Interpol so that the list of suspects available or any data obtained can be used to give alerts at the international level,” he said to reporters at a thanksgiving ceremony of the People’s Volunteer Corps here.

Ahmad Zahid said the CMC had adequate expertise and the information obtained was monitored to ensure that there were no elements of terrorism, extremism or militancy in the country.

He said that though the CMC was not fully operational before, it had been successful in leading to the arrest of several individuals linked to terrorist, extremist and militant activities.

“The arrests thus far were the outcome of the CMC before it went fully operational,” he said.

Malaysia was chosen by the United States to host the CMC to check the ideology and propaganda of the Daesh militant group via the Internet.

Malaysia is also the CMC reference centre for the other Asean countries, Australia and New Zealand. — Bernama