MALAYSIA acknowledges the findings of a US government report that it is a transit hub for terrorists and, therefore, has to rely on laws like the controversial Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012 to curb such activities, said Muhyiddin Yassin.

The home minister said the threat of terrorism in the country was real and that he was fully aware of the situations outlined in the US State Department’s 2018 terrorism report released on Friday.

“We know for a fact that Malaysia, for the last few years, has become a transit point, as mentioned in the report.

“We can’t let such elements flourish here. That is why the police has been taking action. We need to make arrests.

“We have to use preventive laws, such as Sosma, because the threats are real. We will continue to monitor and take preventive measures,” Muhyiddin said in Serdang today.

The US State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2018 said Malaysia remained a “source and transit point” for terror groups like the Islamic State, despite the country having stepped up its anti-terrorism efforts.

It highlighted four terrorism-linked incidents, but noted there were no IS-linked attacks on Malaysian soil last year.

“Although there were no IS-affiliated attacks in Malaysia in 2018, the country remains a source and transit point, and to a significantly lesser extent, a destination country, for terrorist groups, including IS, Abu Sayyaf, al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.

“Suspected IS supporters deported from Turkey and individuals planning to travel to southern Philippines to support IS-affiliated groups used Malaysia as a transit point,” said the report. 

Meanwhile, on Sabah’s security level, Muhyiddin said that remained a challenge for security agencies to guard the state’s coastal areas as the coastline spans more than 1,000km. 

The US State Department’s terrorism report noted the arrest of some 20 people in Sabah for suspected involvement in terrorism-related activities, among them, “smuggling militants into southern Philippines, enabling kidnapping-for-ransom operations, recruiting children as militants and human shields, and participation in Abu Sayyaf-led beheadings”.

“Kidnapping in Sabah is nothing new. There were cases where we managed to free the hostages but there are some who are still being held hostage. Another problem is that the area is huge, more than 1,000km, and we are close to the Philippines,” Muhyiddin said.

“We have a small understanding or cooperation with Manila. We exchange information and intelligence. However, on our part, we are tightening up our defence. We have assets such a helicopters and marine boats (for this),” he added. – November 3, 2019.