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Rueben Ananthan Santhana Dass is a Research Analyst with the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research interests include religious extremism and political violence in Southeast Asia (focusing on Malaysia) and South Asia; Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) terrorism and the use of unconventional weapons by terrorist groups.
Terrorism Laws in Malaysia: The Continuing Case for SOSMA and POTA
Calls for the abolishment of terrorism laws have resurfaced in Malaysia recently. The Malaysian Bar and human rights advocates have referred to current terrorism laws as “unjust,” “regressive,” violations of basic human rights and laws that need to be abolished immediately. Yet, despite the physical loss of the Islamic State (IS) caliphate, the terrorism threat still looms in the region owing to IS’ ideology. This article discusses Malaysia’s two terrorism-related laws — correcting misconceptions about them, arguing for their retention, and suggesting ways that valid concerns about them might be addressed.
Foreign Terrorist Fighters: Implications for Malaysia’s Border Security
As governments around the world continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the world must not lose sight of the ongoing threat of returning Islamic State (IS) foreign terrorist fighters from Syria. As foreign fighters and their families scour for places to seek refuge, Malaysia may inadvertently turn out to be an attractive destination given the country’s visa-waiver program; the porousness of the tri-border region of Sabah, Indonesia, and the Philippines; and insider threats. In the past, terrorists have capitalized on these vulnerabilities. Given the country’s susceptibility to being used as a terrorist safe haven and platform for staging trans-border terrorist attacks, Malaysian authorities need to strengthen and improve existing measures aimed at countering terrorist infiltration.
