28 terror suspects repatriated

Twenty-eight China nationals suspected of being members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) founded by militant Uighurs in western China, who were detained in Malaysia had been repatriated up to December, 2016.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said they were among 260 individuals, including Malaysians, who were detained for various offences related to involvement and support for terror groups.

He said among the Acts applied to detain them was the Special Measures Against Terrorism in Foreign Countries Act 2015 (SMATA).

Ahmad Zahid said several discussions were held during his working visit to China since Jan 10 on security matters as well as on terrorism, and according to him, China was also not free of internal security issues, including threats posed by groups trained to join Daesh abroad.

“There are China nationals in Turkey, Syria and Iraq. They had come to Malaysia through a number of countries and then left for Syria and Iraq via Istanbul or Ankara using international documents from another country,” he told a press conference, here.

“China is thankful for PDRM’s (Royal Malaysian Police) efficiency, enabling it to detect individuals who have become terrorists and have eluded certain countries before arriving in Malaysia,” he added.

Ahmad Zahid said there were also individuals and groups from China who were detained in Malaysia following intelligence information channelled by the Chinese authority, which also provided biometric data, to enable PDRM to detain them before they could depart to another country.

On the recent statement by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that investors from China were taking away investment opportunities from local investors, Ahmad Zahid said Malaysians should open their hearts and minds by welcoming foreign investors.

“Although we have differences of opinions over interpretations and so on, in the interest of the country we should look at foreign investment opportunities.

“Domestic investors need to be given priority, but their capacity might be limited, especially in injecting capital for new technology,” he said.