New law to be tabled at the next sitting in March, says Wan Junaidi.
FMT
KUCHING: A new law on prevention of terrorism will be ready for tabling in Parliament next month, says Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
He said the law is crucial to curb the influence of terrorists because existing provisions mostly deals with matters after the fact.
The new Prevention of Terrorism Bill was drafted after Parliament debated and approved a government White Paper on combating the threat of Islamic State, in November.
Fears have been expressed that the new law would incorporate measures for detention without trial, similar to those provided under the now-repealed Internal Security Act, which was frequently criticised for being used against political dissidents under the cover of national security.
Wan Junaidi said preventative laws were needed “so that we can take action even before acts are committed”. He said terrorist groups that misused Islam as a political tool were a threat to all Malaysians, not just Muslims.
“They are influencing the youth, our children. They use multiple approaches. They go to universities, to schools. This is a big challenge for the Government,” Junaidi was quoted as saying on Thursday after a 14-year-old girl was detained on suspicion of trying to join Islamic State fighters in the Middle East.
The girl, from Muar, was arrested under the new security offences law on Tuesday before she could board a Cairo-bound flight.
FMT
KUCHING: A new law on prevention of terrorism will be ready for tabling in Parliament next month, says Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
He said the law is crucial to curb the influence of terrorists because existing provisions mostly deals with matters after the fact.
The new Prevention of Terrorism Bill was drafted after Parliament debated and approved a government White Paper on combating the threat of Islamic State, in November.
Fears have been expressed that the new law would incorporate measures for detention without trial, similar to those provided under the now-repealed Internal Security Act, which was frequently criticised for being used against political dissidents under the cover of national security.
Wan Junaidi said preventative laws were needed “so that we can take action even before acts are committed”. He said terrorist groups that misused Islam as a political tool were a threat to all Malaysians, not just Muslims.
“They are influencing the youth, our children. They use multiple approaches. They go to universities, to schools. This is a big challenge for the Government,” Junaidi was quoted as saying on Thursday after a 14-year-old girl was detained on suspicion of trying to join Islamic State fighters in the Middle East.
The girl, from Muar, was arrested under the new security offences law on Tuesday before she could board a Cairo-bound flight.
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