THE Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012, a law seen as draconian by rights groups, is needed to help police fight organised crime, Federal Crime Investigation Department (CID) director Huzir Mohamed said today.

The law, which civil society groups and ruling government politicians want repealed, is especially helpful in nabbing the heads of gangs, Huzir added.

“Normal procedure can only be used against the one who pulls the trigger. It cannot be used against the top bosses,” he said at a press conference today on recent arrests of organised crime gang members.

“For example, in the case of Gang 36 and Satu Hati, we know the top leaders were involved (in ordering the clash between the two gangs) but we cannot link them (leaders) to the case.”

“However, under Sosma, being a member of an organised crime group is an offence and so we can take action against all group members, including the leader.

“Sosma is still relevant to combat organised crime. Without this law we cannot stop these kinds of groups,” Huzir said 

He said the law has helped police cripple Gang 46, AYT 99 and Gang 24.

Sosma, a preventive detention law, was introduced in 2012 to replace the Internal Security Act (ISA).

It has, however, also been used on human rights activists, such as in the 2016 arrest of former Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah, now the Petaling Jaya MP. She has since sued the government for wrongful arrest and obtained a settlement last year.

In its 2018 election manifesto, Pakatan Harapan had promised to abolish Sosma. After coming into power, however, the coalition has proved reluctant to keep the promise, with Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin saying that the law was needed to fight terrorism.

The law was recently used to detain members of DAP, a PH component party, including two assemblyman for allegedly supporting the defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The trials are ongoing.

Huzir today announced the arrests of 12 men from the AYT 99 gang, including its leader known as Ayah Yie Tiger. They are expected to be charged tomorrow.

The group has been active since 2012 and involved fights and shootings in the Klang Valley.

Huzir said the gang was also responsible for shooting former attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail’s personal driver last year.

“This gang extorts money and they accept orders to beat up people and shoot people. All 12 are currently detained under Sosma for 28 days from January 23 to Feb 19.

“Twenty more gang members of AYT 99 are still at large and we will soon catch them. This group was behind the shooting of the former AG’s personal driver after they received a payment of RM30,000 from a man who ordered the shooting.”

AYT 99 also extorted from project sites and used violence in disputes over money, Huzir added.

“They have torched cars, and in one incident in Shah Alam, a group member burnt a car belonging to an Armenian just because they were involved in an argument. Before that, this group burnt the car of a person who owed one of the gang member some money.”

“They are notorious and we have crippled this group. The 12 members will be charged tomorrow in the Klang Court,” Huzir said.

Huzir said the police seized from the group a car, several machetes, three pistols and a number of bullets, as well as handphones and cash. – February 17, 2020.