‘Asean must fight terror as one’
ASEANAPOL CONFERENCE: IS ideology has no place in country and region, says PM
ASEAN must be united in the fight against terrorism, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday.
He said now was the time for the region to unite and play a greater part alongside the world community in the global battle against terrorism.
“Digital media is the new frontier in which much of this war must be fought.
“It is a new battleground. Its centrality to our efforts cannot be overestimated and we must seize the opportunity to convince the world that Muslims have nothing to do with the ideology of hatred and destruction,” he said at the launch of the 36th Chiefs of Asean Police (Aseanapol) Conference here.
Najib said Malaysia had initiated the establishment of the Regional Digital Counter-Messaging Communications Centres that would synchronise efforts in Asean and beyond.
“It is vital that this centre uses the studies that illustrate why there is nothing at all ‘Islamic’ about the ‘state’ (terror group Islamic State, or IS) that shamefully declares itself as such.”
Najib added that he had repeatedly raised the fact that no one was immune to the threats of terrorism.
“(IS) and its cruel, twisted ideology have no place in our peaceful, diverse, tolerant country, nor in our region,” he said.
He said this was why the government had passed the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, the Special Measures against Terrorism in Foreign Countries Act, the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the National Security Council Act.
“We were criticised for passing some of these laws.
“But, my government will never apologise for placing the safety and security of the Malaysian people first.
“These laws are necessary and other countries have followed our lead,” he said, adding that such laws had aided the authorities in monitoring possible terrorists and IS sympathisers.
Najib said the government would continue to put necessary measures in place and security forces were on a heightened state of alert.
On the conference, he urged participants to deliberate on the five challenges he had raised in 2006.
The challenges included boosting cooperation beyond national boundaries by stressing information sharing; to re-examining Aseanapol’s strategy in supporting the Asean security community and the war against drugs.
“These challenges will continue to determine how Aseanapol charts its way forward. I want to add a sixth challenge today: on the need to work together to combat human trafficking,” said Najib.
Speaking to participants in the conference, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said Malaysia had been dauntless in its fight against terror.
“We call on our neighbours and friends to join us in our resolute fight against terrorism and to deny terrorists the opportunity to force us to live in fear.”
Later, Khalid said Malaysian police would carry out bilateral engagements with relevant nations to address terror issues and the threat posed by IS during the conference.
He said discussions had been held with several countries, including Indonesia and Thailand, on Monday.
Khalid met Philippine authorities yesterday to raise concerns about kidnappings in Sabah waters carried out by gunmen from the southern Philippines.
He said a bilateral meeting had been arranged to discuss the matter further.
However, he said he was concerned about the lukewarm response from tugboat operators to observe precautionary measures
recommended by the authorities.
He said the authorities had engaged with boat operators in the east coast of Sabah, informing them of the procedures and risks as well as how to react when faced with problems.
“If they continue doing what they want in such a high-risk area, the threat will be there. They should be held responsible for what can happen since they do not heed police’s advice,” he said.
He said boat operators should inform the authorities of their vessel movements or routes that they would take, including for diving or taking tourists out.
To a question, Khalid said there was no reason to revive the Internal Security Act (ISA) as the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 and Prevention of Crime Act 2013 would better curb terrorist activities in the country.
“These combined laws are better than the ISA. They are enough (to address terrorism). We are comfortable with the new laws and we are confident we can maintain peace, law and order with these laws,” he said.
He said the Regional Digital Counter-Messaging Centre to Combat Terrorism would be operational soon.