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BENARNEWS- A Malaysian court on Thursday sentenced a Bangladeshi man to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to three counts of human smuggling in an area where 106 migrant graves were discovered in May 2015, local media reported.
Nurul Islam, 32, admitted in the High Court of northern Perlis state to smuggling three of his countrymen into Malaysia through the Wang Kelian area, where the graves were found, between October 2014 and May 2015, The Sun Daily of Malaysia reported.
Judicial Commissioner Abu Bakar Katar sentenced him to 10 years for each charge and ordered the jail terms to run concurrently from the date of his arrest on May 2, 2016. Charges were lodged under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (2007).
Three other men – two Rohingya and a Thai national – have been found guilty of smuggling people through camps in the mountainous area, but they have not yet been sentenced.
Wearing a pink baju Melayu and kopiah, Nurul Islam sobbed in the dock of the court room after the charges were read to him by an interpreter in his mother tongue. He was not represented by a lawyer in court, The Sun report said.
'Forced'
During the hearing Thursday, Nurul Islam claimed he was forced to commit the offenses by another agent of a smuggling syndicate who would beat him if he refused to follow orders. He said he was paid RM 1,800 (U.S. $445) a month, according to The New Straits Times.
Nurul Islam asked the court for leniency as he had three young children and an elderly father to care for in his home country.
"Nobody will take care of them when I am in jail. I just want to go home," he said, according to The Sun Daily.
In May 2015, police exhumed 106 bodies, believed to be ethnic Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, from illegal detention camps in Bukit Genting Perah and Bukit Wang Burma, a few hundred meters away from the Malaysia-Thai border in Wang Kelian.
Earlier that same month, mass graves containing at least 36 bodies were discovered on the Thai side of the border, leading to a crackdown on people smuggling by Thailand and the subsequent sudden arrival of close to 3,000 Rohingya and Bangladesh migrants in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Ninety-two people including a Thai general are being prosecuted for human smuggling in Thailand as a result of the crackdown in that country.
"Human trafficking is a big business in southern Thailand; thousands cross between the borders into Malaysia and Thailand every day," Glorene Das of Tenaganita, a Kuala Lumpur-based group that advocates migrant rights, said in May 2015 after the initial discovery of graves.
Departures of human smuggling boats from Myanmar and Bangladesh have decreased significantly since then, according to Matthew Smith, director of Fortify Rights, an NGO working in the region.
"In some ways, the situation has improved drastically. This time last year there were several thousand Rohingya being held in torture camps in Thailand. Today, those camps no longer exist," he told BenarNews in an interview in May 2016.
He attributed that largely to the crackdown in Thailand and political changes in Myanmar.
"Malaysian authorities have categorically failed to prosecute any traffickers involved in trafficking Rohingya. Malaysia only prosecuted three traffickers last year. Many traffickers roam free with no fear of justice knocking on their door. That's a problem," he said.


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BENARNEWS- What used to be an ordinary piece of land in Malaysia's Kedah state is now creating a historical buzz, after experts recently certified that the Sungai Batu Archaeological site is 2,000 years old and one of the oldest civilizations in Southeast Asia.
In May, after nearly a decade of excavation work at a local palm oil estate, archaeologists with expertise of five main ancient civilizations – Mesopotamia, Indus, Mesoamerica, China and Greco-Roman – signed a plaque recognizing the historical significance of Sungai Batu.
Sungai Batu, the archaeologists declared, predated by many centuries two of the most famous archaeological treasures in the region – Borobudur temple in Indonesia and Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which were built in the 9th and 12th centuries respectively.
"All this while, we were taught that Malay civilization only began during the Malacca Sultanate some 400 years ago. But these findings proved history propagated all this while by the orientalist is inaccurate as the Malay civilization had indeed started as early as some 2,000 years ago," secondary school teacher and history buff Fahrizan Fahmy told BenarNews.
"Evidence unearthed at these sites proved that our ancestors had a strong civilization to the extent that the Sungai Batu was a thriving industrial port exporting high-grade iron products to other civilizations during that time," he said.
He hoped that the state and federal governments would "start the ball rolling so that our future generation would get a clearer history of our ancestors' achievements in building a civilization some 2,000 years ago."
[https://www]Traces of an ancient port
The archaeological dig was initiated in 2007 following a request by the then-Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
He sought to have the National Heritage Department and a group of archaeologists from Malaysia's top university – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) – expand research on the Bujang Valley, Malaysia's richest archaeological area, where ancient ruins with Buddhist and Hindu influences have been unearthed.
Led by USM's Global Archaeological Research Center director, Mokhtar Saidin, the team used modern methods to establish that Sungai Batu site could have been a seaport during the 1st century.
In 2009, the team mapped the area and identified 100 potential excavation spots in Sungai Batu area. The team subsequently started to unearth relics suggesting that the site was home to a thriving iron-smelting industry some 2,000 years ago, linking it to the area's ancient Kedah Civilization.
Historians remarked that the people in ancient times called Kedah Tua by different names: Kataha in Sanskrit, Kadaram, Kidaram and Kidara in Tamil, Chieh-Cha in Chinese, Kalah in Arabic and Quedah in the West.
Along with the iron smelt, Mokhtar's team dug up remnants of 12 jetties and administrative buildings, suggesting that the site was once a thriving port and then at sea level.
The team also found a distinct clay brick monument with a circular structure that represented the moon, sun or earth. Its north side faces nearby Gunung Jerai (Jerai Mountain), believed to be the sacred home of the gods during ancient times.
According to researchers, the ritualistic spots and pottery containing certain symbols may indicate the practice of animism prior to the arrival of Buddhism and Hinduism in the region.
Archaeologists expect to make more significant discoveries at nearly 100 potential exploration spots on the 4-square-km (1.5-square-mile) site, Ratnah Wati Mohd Rapi, a post-doctorate student in archaeology, told BenarNews.
"So far, we have carried out excavation works at some 55 sites and dozens more are waiting to be discovered.
Archaeologists are looking to unearth more structures to complement the existing findings, following the discovery of the remnant of an ancient barge buried in a swampy location, she said.
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Oxford University professor Stephen Oppenheimer hands over a plaque to Mokhtar Saidin (second from right) recognizing the 2,000-year-old Sungai Batu site during the Kedah Tua International Conference in May.  [Courtesy of Archaeology Friends of Universiti Sains Malaysia]
Global tourism plans
Since the archaeologists recognized the ruins as dating back two millennia, the state of Kedah is now preparing to lobby the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to list Sungai Batu as a protected World Heritage Site, Kedah Tourism and Heritage committee chairman Mohd Rawi Abdul Hamid told BenarNews.
Such recognition by the U.N. would position the state "to become a magnet for the international tourism sector, especially among the global archaeological fans."
Officials are working on a dossier and plan to travel to make an official presentation to UNESCO at its headquarters in Paris in February 2017.
"If everything goes well as planned by professor Mokhtar, we may secure the world heritage site listing for Sungai Batu by June 2017," he said, pointing out that Mokhtar's team in 2012 had successfully persuaded UNESCO to put the Malaysian state of Perak's Lenggong Valley on its world heritage list.
According to UNESCO, the Lenggong Valley has four archaeological sites in two clusters that span close to 2 million years – one of the longest records of early man in a single locality, and the oldest outside the African continent. The sites in Lenggong feature evidence of early Paleolithic tool-making capabilities.
[https://www]Along with the Lenggong Valley, Malaysia has three other UNESCO-listed heritage sites – Mount Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Mount Kinabalu National Park in Sabah and the historical sites of Malacca and Georgetown.
Meanwhile, the ongoing recognition is paving the way for the site to become a global archaeological tourism site, Sungai Batu's Civilization Archaeology-Adventure Society founder and chairman Mazlan Mahmud said.
"If we look at Angkor Wat, it recorded a U.S. $43.3 million entrance ticket collection for last year alone. So if we could tap just 1 percent or 2 percent of the total visitors from Angkor Wat to Sungai Batu, it will create a huge spill-over to the local tourism sector," he told BenarNews.
Even without such spillover, he said there was an urgent need to train guides since there has been a steady increase in visitors.
"They wish to learn more on the similarities and difference between Sungai Batu civilization and the prominent archaeological sites such as Angkor Wat and Borobudur Temple. As such, we need to develop our soft skills, which means a pool of local guides who are well-versed on the Kedah Tua civilization and the findings made in Sungai Batu so that we will have a common interpretation to educate the visitors," Mazlan added.


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BENARNEWS- Pediatricians in Malaysia are calling for more effective measures to prevent sexual abuse of children after a British pedophile who preyed on up to 200 Malaysian children was jailed for life by a court in London this week.

Following the conviction of Richard Huckle, who had admitted to 71 charges of sex abuse against children from the ages of six months to 12 years old, Malaysian officials have assured the public that parliament was considering tightening laws against child abuse.

But the country's pediatricians said legal action and punishment alone were not sufficient.

"We need preventive measures in the form of parenting skills on child safety, sex education in schools, educating children themselves on protecting themselves from potential sexual predators," Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA) President N. Thiyagar told BenarNews.

Huckle is believed to have targeted as many as 200 children over a span of nine years, posing as a photographer, English teacher and Western philanthropist to gain access to impoverished families, mostly in Malaysia, according to reports.

According to Malaysian officials, most of Huckle's victims were from impoverished Christian communities in the capital Kuala Lumpur, where he had worked as an English teacher and Christian charity worker.

Thiyagar said Huckle's case underscored the need for "stringent vetting and screening methods in recruiting volunteers," while parents needed to be reminded and educated about child safety.

"We need to conduct awareness campaigns on child safety against sexual offenders to the public. Children must be taught the basic stranger-danger rules such as never to accept gifts from a stranger or go anywhere with a stranger," he said.

He suggested that safety of children be part of pre-school and school curriculums in sex education.

Malaysia does not teach sex education in schools. 

In a joint statement this week, The MPA and the College of Paediatrics Malaysia said that two-thirds of pedophiles were known to children.

According to the statement, pedophiles often disguise themselves as volunteers for agencies dealing with children.

"They will establish themselves in a position of trust to remain close to their victims; the children. Statistics indicate that your child could be more at risk from someone they do know than from a complete stranger; in relation to pedophiles, two-thirds of pedophiles are known to children."

The Huckle case has raised an outcry among Malaysians on social media.
Even Prime Minister Najib Razak voiced his anger and sadness about the case on Facebook, saying "Malaysians should heed lessons" from it.

Moves to toughen child-sex penalties

The government, meanwhile, said it was proposing to enact new legislation specifically for dealing with pedophiles.

"This is to allow investigations and prosecution of pedophile sexual offenders even when they commit the crimes in other countries," the state news agency Bernama quoted Deputy Home Affairs Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed as saying.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri also announced that amendments were being made to a current law against child abuse.

But Lee Lam Thye, vice-chairman of the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation, said approval and passage of amendments to the Child Act should be made during the current sitting of parliament "so that we can take care of the needs of children, protect their rights and put a stop to child abuse and parental negligence."

A bill seeking the amendments had been tabled for debate in December.

The amendments would mean stiffer action against those who abuse or neglect children, Lee said. 

The proposal carries a heavier penalty of a fine of up to 50,000 ringgit (U.S. $12,252) and a maximum jail sentence of 20 years for those convicted of child abuse. Under the present act, child abuse is punishable with a fine of no more than 10,000 ringgit (U.S. $2,450) and imprisonment of up to 10 years.

The proposal also includes setting up a proposed registry of perpetrators who commit crimes against children, and establishing a National Council for Children to advise and make recommendations to the government on issues pertaining to children.

The registry would include details of foreign pedophiles who have committed offenses in Malaysia, Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Azizah Mohd Dun said, according to the new Straits Times.

A task force was being set up to look into the details and mechanism of the registry, a ministry official said. At present, records of those convicted and the offenses were kept by police, the report said.

Fahirul N. Ramli contributed to this report.

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BENARNEWS- Southern Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf Group militants have apparently executed a second Canadian citizen after a ransom deadline passed, Canada's prime minister announced Monday.
"It is with deep sadness that I have reason to believe that a Canadian citizen, Robert Hall, held hostage in the Philippines since Sept. 21, 2015, has been killed by his captors," Justin Trudeau said in a statement posted online.
"While Canadian officials are working closely with authorities in the Philippines to formally confirm Mr. Hall's death, we have compelling reason to believe that reports to this effect are, unfortunately, true," the prime minister added.
In Jolo, in the southern Philippines, the local police chief told The Philippine Inquirer that police on Monday night found a decapitated head in a plastic bag.
Hall, 50, was executed shortly after the 3 p.m. Monday deadline to pay a ransom of 600 million Philippine pesos (U.S. $13 million) for his release along with two fellow captives, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, 56, and Filipina Marites Flor, 40, Agence France-Presse reported. Their fate is not known.
Second execution since late April
The reported execution came seven weeks after Abu Sayyaf beheaded Canadian hostage John Ridsdel, 68, a former mining executive, on April 25. He was killed five hours after a similar ransom deadline had passed. Ridsdel, Hall, Sekkingstad and Flor were abducted from a resort on Samal Island, in the Philippine province of Davao, in September.
In November, the Islamic militant group beheaded Bernard Then, a Malaysian citizen whom it had abducted from a seaside restaurant in Sabah in May 2015, after ransom talks failed.
Hall's execution occurred just days after Abu Sayyaf, which is aligned with the extremist group Islamic State (IS), freed four Malaysian sailors held since April 1. Malaysian officials said no ransom was paid, adding that negotiators from Malaysia and the Philippines had secured their freedom on Tuesday after several rounds of negotiations with the militant group.
Previously, Abu Sayyaf released 10 Indonesian sailors on May 1 after holding them for 36 days. The owner of their tugboat had agreed to pay a ransom for their release, but officials have not said if any money was paid to secure their freedom.
One of the freed sailors later told BenarNews that he saw militants carrying sacks which, he believed, contained ransom money for their release.
Trudeau: Canada will not pay ransom
"With the tragic loss of two Canadians, I want to reiterate that terrorist hostage-takings only fuel more violence and instability. Canada will not give into their fear mongering tactics and despicable attitude toward the suffering of others," the Canadian prime minister said.
"This is precisely why the Government of Canada will not and cannot pay ransoms for hostages to terrorists groups, as doing so would endanger the lives of more Canadians."
Trudeau also pledged to work with the Philippine government and other allies to bring those responsible for the killings to justice.


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BENARNEWS- A Kuala Lumpur court Tuesday sentenced a Malaysian artist, who set out to paint the chaos of the war in Syria, to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to supporting the Islamic State (IS) extremist group there.
A court in Penang state, meanwhile, charged a local tour guide with funding a Malaysian who allegedly is fighting alongside Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants in the southern Philippines, according to reports.
Artist Mohammad Fauzee Ahmad, a father of six, went to Syria to capture on canvas the struggle of Syrians under the regime of Bashar al-Assad. While there, he worked as a sentry and received military training at an unnamed IS camp, court records said.
Kuala Lumpur High Court Judicial Commissioner Nordin Hassan sentenced Mohammad Fauzee, 48, after accepting his guilty plea. Nordin ordered the sentence to run from the date of the defendant's arrest, Oct. 27, 2014.
"I don't want any youngsters to be influenced by your actions and follow suit," Nordin told the defendant.
"Hence, I have to impose a deterrent sentence on you to send out a strong message to the public, especially to those who are planning to do the same. Islamic State is a worldwide threat and it is the court's responsibility to ensure such terror activities do not happen in Malaysia."
'Lost soul'
Fauzee was charged with taking part in terrorist-related activities involving firearms and explosives in Syria between June 29 and Sept. 18, 2014, and could have faced up to 30 years in jail, or a fine and forfeiture of his assets.
Defense attorney Eric Paulsen told the judicial commissioner that his client had kept a space at a mosque in Putrajaya, where he painted for almost a decade before traveling to Syria.
"He was misguided to taking part in the fight there. Fauzee is a lost soul and can be rehabilitated. The court should understand that the offense was technically committed overseas and a sentence of five to nine years would be sufficient," Paulsen told the court.
Since the arrest, Fauzee's wife has become the sole breadwinner of the family, earning 1,000 ringgits (U.S. $243) per month as a factory worker for their three school-age children, Paulsen said.
The prosecutor focused on Fauzee's actions in Syria.
"He was clearly lending support to terror activities. There are pictures of him holding an AK-47 and posing alongside bombs, tanks and sitting on top of a tank with an injured Mujahid fighter," Deputy Public Prosecutor Mustaffa P. Kunyalam told the court.
"Thus, the court should also take into consideration the interest of the public and impose a deterrent sentence."
According to Malaysia's home ministry, more than 130 Malaysians have tried to join IS in Iraq or Syria. At least 19 Malaysians have been killed while fighting for IS in the Middle East, according to Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, the head of the Royal Malaysia Police's (RMP) counterterrorist branch.
Since 2013, Malaysian police have arrested at least 193 suspects with alleged links to IS, among whom 58 have been charged in court, according to police statistics.
Managing terrorism fund
In Penang, tour guide Lisoffuan Abdullah, 37, was charged Tuesday over having managed a bank account to support alleged ASG member Muhammad Joraimee Awang Raimee for six months between Oct. 21, 2015 and April 29, 2016.
According to news reports, Muhammad Joraimee is part of a group planning to form an official faction of the IS in Southeast Asia by bringing together militant groups in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. A former municipal council employee in Penang, Muhammad Joraimee has been on the RMP's wanted list since April 2014.
Lisoffuan could face up to 20 years in prison, if convicted. Balik Pulau Magistrate Court Magistrate Nur Azzuin Abd Moati denied bail and set July 14 for Lisoffuan's first court hearing.
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Lisoffuan Abdullah is led out of court after being charged with managing terrorism fund on behalf of a Malaysian militant fighting alongside Abu Sayyaf Group in Southern Philippines, June 14, 2016[S. Adie Zul/BenarNews].


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BENARNEWS- The families of four Malaysian sailors released from captivity last week by Abu Sayyaf militants are claiming that 12 million ringgit (U.S. $ 2.94 million) was handed over to the authorities as a ransom payment, a local newspaper reported Wednesday.
Malaysian authorities have denied that any ransom was paid to the southern Philippine-based Abu Sayyaf Group to secure the release of the hostages, identified as brothers Wong Teck Kang, 31, and Wong Chii Teck, 29, their cousin, Johnny Lau Kim Hien, 21, and Wong Hung Sing, 34, who is not related.
Lau Cheng Kiong, a spokesman for the families of the four ex-hostages and who is the uncle of Johnny Lau Kim Hien, said the money was given to the team responsible for handling the case – Special Branch Police in Sandakan, Sabah, on May 24, according to the Star newspaper.
"We have handed over about 12 Hong Leong Bank's checks, each worth 1 million ringgit ($244,000), to the Special Branch team in Sandakan between 4 and 6 p.m. May 24.
"I want to stress, we did not take a penny of the money collected. It was donated by the public, we are not entitled to it," Lau told a press conference in Sibu, Sarawak, on Wednesday, the Star reported.
Nine million ringgit ($2.2 million) was donated by people from Malaysia and elsewhere, including Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, China and the Solomon Islands, he said.
"The 1 million ringgit ($244,000) is from mortgages of our two-family residence and the remaining 2 million ringgit ($490,000) is a contribution from the shipping companies," he added.
At the time of their release last week, Malaysia's Inspector General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar, claimed that no ransom was paid to the militants. The four sailors, who all hail from Sibu, Sarawak, were kidnapped on April 1.
Khalid could not be reached and Mohamad Fuzi Harun, director of the Royal Malaysia Police's Special Branch, declined comment when BenarNews contacted him on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Malaysian newspaper Utusan Malaysia quoted Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as denying claims that Malaysian authorities had paid a ransom. He said there were no negotiations over a payment involving Malaysian and Philippine police and Abu Sayyaf.
"If there are allegations of certain payments made to free all the hostages, it is not the responsibility of authorities such as the Royal Malaysian Police who represent the Malaysian government," he said.
Previous reports claimed that Abu Sayyaf had demanded 18 million ringgit ($4.46 million) in order to release all four sailors.
Aid sought
Following the kidnapping, the sailors' kin created a Facebook page appealing for help in freeing them.
Lau said the family members decided to make the announcement on Wednesday because donors wanted to know what had happened to the money.
"Those who want to get detailed about the information can contact the Special Branch and Hong Leong Bank in Sandakan," the Star quoted him as saying.
Wong Teck Kang, meanwhile, told reporters that the four had feared that they would not survive the kidnapping after they were shown a video of a beheading, according to local media.
During their captivity, Abu Sayyaf beheaded Canadian hostage John Ridsdel, five hours after a ransom deadline passed on April 25. On Monday, Abu Sayyaf executed a second Canadian hostage, Robert Hall.
In November, Abu Sayyaf beheaded Bernard Then, a Malaysian citizen who had been abducted from a seaside restaurant in Sabah in May 2015.
"I am not sure why [they showed us the beheading] – we were really scared," Wong told reporters Wednesday at his family home in Pulau Li Hua, Sibu. "We didn't think we'd be freed. Every day we prayed that we would survive."
He said their feet were chained except for when they were transferred to another location, or if they wanted to use the toilet. Their captors allowed them to communicate with relatives several times.
The four were taken hostage from their tugboat while it sailed to Sarawak, a state that borders Sabah on the island of Borneo, from Manila. Five other crew members on the Malaysian-registered timber-hauling barge – three from Myanmar and two from Indonesia – were left behind.
The hijacking occurred a week after Abu Sayyaf abducted 10 Indonesian sailors in Philippine waters bordering Sabah. The 10 were released on May 1 and Indonesian officials did not comment on whether a ransom had been paid.


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BENARNEWS- A Malaysian official on Thursday admitted paying 12 million ringgits (U.S. $2.94 million) to unnamed organizations in the Philippines but denied that the money went to militant group Abu Sayyaf in exchange for four hostages, The Star newspaper reported.
Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi insisted no ransom payment was made to release four Malaysian sailors – Wong Teck Kang, 31, Wong Chii Teck, 29, Johnny Lau Kim Hien, 21, and Wong Hung Sing, 34 –who were abducted April 1 and released June 7.
"I can confirm that 12 million ringgits was handed over to the Special Branch given in the form of contributions to certain organizations in the Philippines," he said.
Zahid declined to reveal what groups received the donations, while reiterating that the money did not go to Abu Sayyaf, which beheaded a Malaysian national in November 2015.
On Wednesday, a spokesman for the families of the four ex-hostages said the money was given to Malaysian authorities on May 24 to pay for their release.
Spokesman Lau Cheng Kiong said 9 million ringgit ($2.2 million) was donated by people in Malaysia and abroad; 2 million ringgit ($490,000) was from the shipping company that employed the men; and one million ringgit ($244,000) was raised by mortgaging a family residence.
Family members said they made the announcement because donors asked about what happened to the money.
Philippine media reported on Thursday that four more Malaysian sailors had been abducted in Sulu waters, but Malaysian officials dismissed the report as a mere rumor.
The militant group based in the southern Philippines kidnapped fourteen Indonesian and four Malaysian sailors in the Celebes and Sulu seas in March and April. All have now been released.
The Abu Sayyaf, which claims allegiance to the so-called Islamic State group (IS), recently beheaded two Canadian men after failing to receive ransom payments.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysians fighting overseas for the Islamic State (IS) militant group are believed to be tapping funds from their compatriots by using local banks instead of the traditional underground financial network, according to officials and experts.
At least three IS sympathizers in Malaysia have been charged in recent weeks with funding Malaysians fighters for the extremist group overseas, including Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, who was seen in a video of an IS execution of a Syrian man.
Intelligence reports have suggested that Wanndy is using sympathizers from Malaysia to fund his jihad activities, Malaysian police counter-terrorism chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said.
"I believe the money is being used to cover his expenses in Syria," he told BenarNews.
A handful of Malaysians have given Wanndy their own money because they are convinced that he is using it to fund jihad in Syria, Ayob Khan said.
Just two months ago, Malaysian authorities had told BenarNews they were having difficulty tracing funds flowing to IS fighters because they were sent through a black market network in Southeast Asia, or the elusive international "Hawala" informal money transfer system.
The recent Malaysian cases, however, indicate that IS sympathizers were taking the risk of using the conventional banking system to remit funds to the group's fighters.
On June 15, two IS sympathizers were charged in separate courts in Malaysia for providing funds to Wanndy, who is a member of the Katibah Nusantara, a Malay language-speaking unit with fighters mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia.
He is responsible for recruiting Malaysians through social media platforms to join the group in Syria, according to reports.
On June 17, an audio technician was charged for funding alleged terrorist Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin, 37, who is in Syria. Little information is known about Wan Mohd Aquil, a former musician.
On June 10, a Malaysian car painter was charged with funding Muhammad Joraimee Awang Raimee, 41, a member of the Philippine militant group Abu Sayyaf.
Muhammad Joraimee has been on the Malaysian police's wanted list since April 2014.
According to news reports, Muhammad Joraimee is part of a group planning to form an official faction of the IS in Southeast Asia by bringing together militant groups in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
To date, Malaysian police have arrested at least 193 suspects with alleged links to IS, 64 of whom have been charged in court, according to police statistics.
Terror-financing landscape changing
Rohan Gunaratna, an international terrorism expert, said investigations into terror attacks and several foiled terrorism plots revealed that IS operational entities received funds from the group's central and local support cells.
The funds are used for foreign fighter travels, planning, preparing and attack activities, said Gunaratna, who heads the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
"Authorities need to have a deeper understanding of the changing money laundering and terrorism financing threat landscape," he told BenarNews. "This is imperative."
"Using indicators, terrorist funds can be detected in the collection, storage, movement and disbursal stages but banks and governments should work collaboratively," he said.
IS plans to build a global and regional financial infrastructure to complement its existing local revenue, said Gunaratna, who is also a columnist for BenarNews.
"Through its financial networks based in Turkey, IS is transferring money to support groups, networks, cells and personalities in target countries or countries neighboring target countries, and on occasion through global financial hubs," he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian security expert Zaini Othman said the issue over IS relying on locals for funding was nothing new.
"But we need to read the situation between the lines. Either IS is really running out of financial assistance to support their struggle or their financial assistance is becoming stronger from time to time,"  Zaini, who directs the Security and Strategic Research Center (SASSREC) at the University of Malaysia – Sabah, told BenarNews.
According to Malaysia's home ministry, more than 130 Malaysians have tried to join IS in Iraq or Syria. At least 19 Malaysians have been killed while fighting for IS in the Middle East, according to Ayob Khan.
Nani Yusof contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Dayak community leaders and NGOs expressed shock and anger after a land-rights activist who campaigned on behalf of indigenous communities was gunned down Tuesday at an intersection in the eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak.
Activist Bill Kayong, 43, a Dayak who was a secretary for the local branch of the opposition People's Justice Party (PKR) and who recently ran for a seat in the Sarawak state assembly, was shot dead in Miri city as he was driving to work on Tuesday morning, according to police.
"Kayong has done a lot for the community and we will continue our fight. You touch one Dayak, you touch all Dayaks. This incident will only make us stronger," Peter John Jaban, a fellow indigenous rights activist, told BenarNews.
Indigenous leaders in Sarawak – a timber-rich and largely undeveloped state on Borneo island, whose population is dominated by tribal communities – joined civil society leaders across Malaysia in condemning Kayong's killing. He had also served as secretary for Pedas, an NGO advocating rights for Dayaks in Sarawak.
Following the shooting, 13 local NGOs representing local tribes held a news conference in Kuching, the state capital, where they voiced solidarity with the slain activist.
"In light of this senseless act, we call and urge the Dayak communities to keep calm and not to take the laws into their own hands," Dusit Jaul, president of the Sarawak Dayak Graduates' Association, told the news conference.
"We do not want to speculate on the matter. All we want is for the police to investigate and not let the culprits go unpunished. We want justice for Kayong," Jaul added.
Baru Bian, chairman of the PKR in Sarawak, remembered Kayong as "a young man zealously pursuing justice for the people."
"We have lost a loyal comrade and a good friend. Words cannot begin to express the sorrow and outrage we feel that Bill was so brutally and coldly shot and killed," the PKR chairman said in a statement.
Kayong, a father of two, had contested the seat for the Bekenu constituency in last month's state assembly elections, but lost to incumbent Rosey Yunus, a member of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
'A new battleground'
Kayong was shot dead a day after Global Witness, a London-based NGO, reported that 185 environmental activists were killed last year worldwide, marking a 59 percent increase from 2014.
Among those killed were six activists from India, three from Indonesia and two from Thailand. The Global Witness report, titled "On Dangerous Ground," cited the case of Salim Kancil, an Indonesian farmer who had helped lead protests against an illegal sand-mining operation in East Java province and who was beaten, electrocuted and stabbed to death by at least a dozen men in September 2015.
"2015 was the worst year on record for killings of land and environmental defenders – people struggling to protect their land, forests and rivers through peaceful actions, against mounting odds," the report by Global Witness said.
"The environment is emerging as a new battleground for human rights. As demand for products like timber, minerals and palm oil continues, governments, companies and criminal gangs are exploiting land with little regard for the people who live on it."
Natural resource-rich Sarawak has long been a battleground for campaigners advocating environmental conservation and land rights for local tribes. Sixteen years ago, Bruno Manser, a Swiss environmentalist who had been campaigning for the rights of the state's indigenous people, disappeared and is presumed dead.
Police set up task force
On Tuesday, police in Sarawak appealed to the public for help in tracking down Kayong's killers.
"The traffic light intersection is normally busy during that time of the morning and we believe many motorists may have witnessed the incident," Dev Kumar, chief senior assistant commissioner for the state's Criminal Investigation Department, said in a statement.
In Kuala Lumpur, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said his department had formed a task force to probe the killing in Sarawak, but he warned the public not to speculate about a motive in the case.
"Let us probe what really happened. We will find out how and what happened in due time," The Star newspaper quoted Khalid as saying.
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Bill Kayong, shown at the Malaysian Parliament, was shot dead while on his way to work in Sarawak state on June 21, 2016. [BenarNews]


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BENARNEWS- The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) should be able to function under eight new commissioners despite its budget being reduced, a minister in charge of human rights said Thursday.
"I don't see it as a problem," Paul Low, a minister in the Prime Minister's Department, told BenarNews. "The purpose of the budget cut is in line with our current financial state as a nation and does not only affect SUHAKAM."
Until this week, the eight-member body had been without commissioners since the terms of the last commission expired on April 25. Since then, reports had indicated that its funding could run out in October after the government moved to slash SUHAKAM's operating budget by half.
The commission is tasked, among other things, with opening inquiries into complaints about alleged human rights violations in Malaysia, where rights advocacy groups have accused the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak of undermining free speech by arresting and charging some of its critics with sedition.
During these lean budgetary times, the government expects the commission to dip into its 4.5 million ringgit- (U.S. $1.1 million-) reserve, Low said.
"The government hopes SUHAKAM will exercise some financial discipline in times of austerity like this," he said. "[T]his is the sort of thing reserves are for, for times when we have to tighten our belt."
Members of new panel
The new commissioners, who were appointed by the government on Tuesday, are headlined by veteran diplomat Razali Ismail, its new chairman.
Razali previously served as president of the United Nations General Assembly and as chairman of its Security Council. He also served as the U.N. Secretary General's special envoy to Myanmar, playing a role in the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.
Two commissioners, Aishah Bidin, dean of the law faculty at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and Francis Johen Adam, honorary secretary of the Society for Disabled Sarawak, were reappointed to the commission.
Rounding out the membership list are retired Malaysia Court of Appeal judge Mah Weng Kwai, Borneo Deve­lopment Corp. (Sabah) Director Godfrey Gregory Joitol, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia senior lecturer Nik Salida Suhaila Nik Salleh, veteran human rights activist and trainer Jerald Joseph and Lok Yim Pheng, secretary general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP).
Low praised the skill sets of the new team, pointing out that Razili's background with the U.N. would benefit the commission because many human rights issues have an international dimension. Adding an NGO leader, Joseph, who heads Pusat Komas, will empower NGOs and allow their voices to be heard.
"I hope the new commissioners understand that they don't need more power. They are a commission, they advise the government, but the government might see things differently," he said.
SUHAKAM was established by parliament under the Human Rights Commission of Act 1999 and held its first meeting on April 24, 2000. Apart from inquiries into rights cases, the commission says it promotes awareness of and education about human rights; advises and assists the government in formulating laws and procedures, as well as negotiating international treaties in that area.
'Extensive and excellent experience'
Former SUHAKAM Chairman Hasmy Agam whose term ended in April, praised the new members, saying they would be able to carry out the commission's mandate.
"The new lineup has extensive and excellent experience with admirable characters," he said.
Before their dismissal in April, previous members had voiced concern that the commission needed more funding from the government to get through the year.
Hasmy said the commission's budget had been cut from nearly 11 million ringgit (U.S. $2.75 million) in 2015 to 5.5 million ringgits ($1.378 million) this year.
At the time, Low said SUHAKAM might have to confine its operation within the Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur and Selangor) because of the cuts.
Eric Paulsen, who heads Lawyers for Liberty, one of Malaysia's leading human rights groups, said he looked forward to working with the new commissioners, but hoped that they would emulate their predecessors and work independently.
"In order for that to happen, at a very minimum, SUHAKAM's budget should be restored to the original amount," Paulsen told BenarNews.
Haireez Azeem Azizi and Fahirul N. Ramli contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- In a new Islamic State propaganda video, Malaysian and Indonesian fighters declare their support for an IS leader in the southern Philippines and urge IS supporters in their home countries who have been unable to travel to Syria to go to the Philippines instead.
The two men and a Filipino also carry out what appears to be the beheading of three prisoners who kneel in front of them, hands bound, in orange jumpsuits. If real, they would mark the first filmed beheadings by Indonesian and Malaysian members of the so-called Islamic State.
The 21-minute video, viewed by BenarNews, combines footage apparently shot in the Middle East and a Southeast Asian country. It was recently uploaded to social media, possibly last week, Reuters reported, citing a military intelligence official in the Philippines.
The three executioners take turns addressing followers in their own countries. One of the three is Mohd Rafi Udin, a member of Kumpulan Mujahiddin Malaysia (KMM) who went to Syria in 2014, according to the Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times.
"People in Bukit Aman, you will not be safe. We will slaughter you ... when we return. Our friends back home will hunt you down," he says, warning members of the Royal Malaysia Police that they will be targeted in attacks.
He urges IS supporters at home to use any means to kill non-Muslims and non-believers "wherever you meet them."
One step closer
The video also names Abdullah al-Filipini – also known as Isnilon Totoni Hapilon – as the leader of IS's Southeast Asian wing Khatibah Nusantara.
Isnilon is a former deputy leader of Abu Sayyaf Group based in the southern Philippines island of Basilan, whose followers pledged allegiance to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2015.
Sidney Jones, director of the Jakarta-based Institute of Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), called the video significant.
"[F]or the first time, Indonesians and Malaysians are indicating that they accept an emir from the Philippines (Isnilon Hapilon, ex-Abu Sayyaf), bringing us one step closer to the declaration of a Southeast Asian province (wilayat) of IS," she told BenarNews.
Rohan Gunaratna, director of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said counter-terrorism forces in Malaysia had so far disrupted nine attempted IS-directed or inspired attacks in the country.
"With IS plans to declare a wilayat in the southern Philippines, the Malaysian government will have to work very closely with their foreign counterparts to assist the Philippines to fight the threat," Gunaratna, who is also a BenarNews columnist, said Thursday.
"The threat to Southeast Asia and beyond will grow dramatically unless the Manila government neutralizes the IS nucleus in Mindanao, as Southeast Asian and other nationalities will travel to the Philippines when it is difficult to travel to Syria and Iraq," he said.
Ready
About 1,000 Southeast Asians had joined IS in Iraq and Syria by the end of 2015, according to the U.S. State Department.
IS claimed an attack in downtown Jakarta in January 2016 that left eight people dead, including the four attackers.
More attacks are likely in the region, security officials said, with IS aiming to prove its potency as its so-called caliphate is beaten back in Iraq and Syria by the governments of those countries and international forces.
"We are preparing for potential attacks within six months by two sources, Khatibah Nusantara in the Philippines, and central IS," Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, the head of the Malaysian police's counter-terrorist special branch, told the New Straits Times, commenting on the new video.
"Targeted attacks will likely be carried out the minute the pledge of allegiance to IS from these groups outside Syria is accepted and the areas they operate in are declared theirs," he added.
Malaysian Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said his forces had kept IS threats at bay thus far.
"Malaysian police are ready at the very highest level for any eventual attacks by IS," he told BenarNews.
Philippine military officials, meanwhile, dismissed the threats, according to Reuters.
"People should not be bothered by this," the news agency quoted Philippine military spokesman Restituto Padilla as saying. "Authorities are working on this. They can be identified, and they can be hunted down."


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia's prime minister reshuffled his cabinet on Monday, rewarding loyalists who have defended him against corruption allegations with new posts amid speculation that he is consolidating his power for early elections in 2017, observers said.
In a nationally televised announcement from Putrajaya, Najib Razak said he was shaking up his cabinet for the third time in two years through the appointments of a couple of new ministers and four new deputy ministers.
The reshuffle, which included the replacement of the country's second finance minister, would "further strengthen the existing administration to ensure the government's agenda for economic development, welfare and security will continue to run as well as promised," Najib said.
But when asked whether his new team would lead the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition into the next general election, the prime minister stopped short of saying whether those polls would take place in 2018. That would be the regular year for the 14th general election, according to the nation's five-year electoral cycle.
"It depends when the next general election will be held. I don't know yet," Najib said.
Najib is unlikely to call snap elections immediately but "any election is likely to be called in the third quarter of next year," according to political scientist Jeniri Amir.
"He would first need to strengthen his grip on things before he can carry on," Jeniri, an assistant professor at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, told BenarNews.
"What we see with the cabinet reshuffle today is a clear sign that he is surrounding himself with loyalists with the likes of Noh Omar and Abdul Rahman Dahlan in the cabinet. And this is just the first step," he added, alluding to two of the big names in Monday's reshuffle.
Noh Omar, the chairman in Selangor state of Najib's party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), was appointed minister of Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government, replacing Abdul Rahman, who will now lead the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) in the Prime Minister's Office.
"Najib is in a powerful position today. I think he is looking at possible snap polls between March  and May 2017 on the back of recent stunning by-election victories," Mahfuz Omar, an MP with the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), told Agence France-Presse.
He was referring to two Barisan Nasional wins in elections in Selangor and Perak state to fill two vacated parliamentary seats. Those victories on June 18 tightened Najib's grip on his party, UMNO, following a landslide victory by Barisan last month in the East Malaysia state of Sarawak, according to news reports.
Meanwhile, a source in Najib's administration told Reuters that the strong results in the recent elections were what Najib had been waiting for to call early elections, and these would likely come in the second half of next year.
Comings and goings
Channel News Asia described both Noh Omar and Abdul Rahman as staunch supporters of Najib, noting that Abdul Rahman had been "vocal in defending Mr. Najib against his critics in the past year," particularly over the "scandal-plagued" state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Since July 2015, Najib has faced calls for his resignation amid allegations over the deposit into his private bank accounts of nearly U.S. $700 million in 1MDB-linked money. The PM has refused to step down, maintaining that he never took any of the money for personal gain.
"What's interesting is the re-entry of Noh Omar in the cabinet. Here I think perhaps it's a reward to Noh who helped win the by election in Sungai Besar and has tried to strengthen the Selangor Barisan Nasional for the 14th General Election," Mohd. Azizuddin Mohd. Sani, a professor of political science at Universiti Utara Malaysia, told BenarNews.
Last week, following the latest in a string of electoral wins, UMNO sacked two of Najib's critics from leadership positions in the party: former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin – who Najib had sacked in July 2015 as part of a second cabinet reshuffle because Yassin had publicly criticized the prime minister over the 1MDB scandal – and former Kedah state Chief Minister Mukhriz Mahathir – the son of Najib foe and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
The latest reshuffle saw Deputy Finance Minister Johari Ghani promoted to the post of Second Finance Minister, replacing Ahmad Husni. Othman Aziz, an MP representing the Jerlun constituency, was appointed as the new deputy finance minister.
According to Malaysian media reports, Husni was unceremoniously removed from his job as second finance minister, and he resigned after finding out that he had been sacked by reading the news in local papers. In his announcement, Najib said he had accepted Husni's resignation as second finance minister, along with his resignation from his other posts as treasurer of UMNO and Barisan Nasional.
At the EPU, Abdul Rahman is replacing Abdul Wahid Omar, who announced his retirement; Nasrun Mansur was appointed deputy minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, replacing the late Noriah Kasnon, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Sarawak in May.
Among other appointments, Sum Agong, an MP from Lawas Henry, was named deputy minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, while S.K. Devamany was named a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's office.
Letter from Anwar
Najib's announcement of a another reshuffle came two days after jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim called on his party and political allies to rally to overcome the recent stinging defeats at the polls.
"Malaysia has no hope of making a better future for its people or of gaining the respect of the world under the current regime, whose prime minister is in the center of a financial scandal of worldwide reach and implication," Anwar, the leader of the People's Justice Party (PKR) who has been imprisoned on a sodomy conviction, said in an open letter from his cell which  published in Saturday's edition of Free Malaysia Today.
"The

• pposition must look at this electoral outcome with humility, and take a hard look at our weaknesses. This is no time for excuses or blame," Anwar said.
  
  
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BENARNEWS- A hand grenade exploded at a night club near Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, injuring eight patrons during the screening of a Euro 2016 football match, Malaysian authorities said.
Police have not ruled out terrorism in the early morning explosion at the Movida nightclub in Puchong, a town that lies south of the Malaysian capital, but said the attack likely stemmed from a "business rivalry" between organized criminal gangs, or may have been an act of vengeance.
Meanwhile, a Malaysian man who is fighting in the Middle East for Islamic State (IS) posted a message on Facebook after the blast, saying that members of the extremist group were responsible for hurling the grenade at the nightclub.
Malaysia's police chief said he had not ruled out the possibility that militants were responsible.
"Let the police investigate first," Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told BenarNews, when a reporter showed him a screenshot of the message posted on the social media site by Abu Hamza Al-Fateh, a Malaysian IS fighter better known as Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi. Wanndy's Facebook page is no longer visible.
However, Abd Rahim Jaafar, the deputy police chief in Selangor state, where the explosion occurred, said state police had ruled out terrorism and were concentrating on rivalries among local gangsters or some kind of vendetta as a motive.
Police were examining footage from security cameras at the club to identify possible suspects, he said.
"People are urged to refrain from speculating on terrorism-related assumptions, as our thorough investigations are ongoing," Abd Rahim told BenarNews, saying that the an initial probe revealed that a grenade was tossed from the roadside.
The head of the Royal Malaysia Police's counter-terrorism special branch, Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, echoed this word of caution on speculating about whether the grenade attack was a an act of terror.
"Our investigation is looking at all corners ... At the moment, the investigation is still ongoing," the Malaysian daily Berita Harian quoted Ayob as saying.
'Blessed attack'
The explosion took place at around 2:15 a.m. Tuesday as football fans had gathered on the patio at Movida to watch the Round of 16 match between Italy and Spain, police said.
"Two fighters from the Malaysia wilayat have instigated a first blessed attack using a grenade in central Kuala Lumpur by targeting a nightclub which was filled with infidel patrons," Wanddy said in his message on Facebook before his page was removed.
"The attack left several victims injured and has caused damage to the club which did not respect the month of Ramadan by allowing such activities. ... Muslims are advised to stay away from these places of vice or becoming non-faithful to avoid being targeted," his message said.
If IS indeed carried out the attack, it would more likely have been carried out by "sympathizers rather than hard-core IS," said Mohd. Azizuddin Mohd. Sani, a visiting professor of political science at Universiti Utara Malaysia.
Wanndy is known to Malaysian authorities. Last year, he and another alleged Malaysian IS member, Mohd Faris Anuar, reportedly took part in the filming of an IS execution video. In December, Faris was reported killed while fighting alongside IS in Anbar, Iraq.
Additionally, at least three IS sympathizers from Malaysia have been charged with funding jihad activities by Wanndy and others.
Malaysian police have arrested at least 193 suspects with alleged links to IS, 64 of whom have been charged in court, according to police statistics.
Club to reopen Wednesday
An employee of Movida bar, lounge and nightclub said he was lucky to have emerged from the blast unharmed.
"The explosion occurred shortly after I left a customer and headed to the cashier," the employee, who requested anonymity, told BenarNews.
He said the damage to the property was minor with a few "mirror barricades and billboards shattered."
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The site where a grenade exploded at the Movida nightclub, June 28, 2016. [Haireez Azeem Azizi/BenarNews]
The club is to re-open for business as usual on Wednesday.
The injured patrons, four men and four women, including a female Chinese national, were sent to two hospitals – a government hospital in Serdang and a private hospital in Sunway for treatment of injuries caused by glass fragments, according to authorities.
Hata Wahari and Fahirul N. Ramli and contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- A Malaysian high court on Wednesday acquitted four policemen of charges of causing the death of a detainee, just two months after a government commission found the officers responsible for torturing and killing the man in 2013.
The prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers caused the death of N. Dharmendran sometime between May 18 and 21, 2013, Judge Kamardin Hashim ruled.
A pathologist at Kuala Lumpur Hospital determined that had Dharmendran died of soft-tissue injuries brought on by blunt force, including having his ears stapled while he was alive.
"The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence that did not point to the guilt of the four accused," Hashim said.
The four policemen, Inspector S. Hare Krishnan, Sgt. Jaffri Jaafar and corporals Mohd Nahar Abd Rahman and Haswadi Zamri Shaari cried and hugged each other following Wednesday's verdict, according to media reports.
The verdict did not surprise human rights lawyer Syahredzan Johan.
"The burden of proof in criminal proceeding is higher than that of a commission investigation," he told BenarNews, adding, "What the family can do now is to pursue a civil suit against the police officers and the government."
The four were charged with killing Dharmendran, a truck driver, at the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters. Dharmendran was arrested on May 11, 2013, on a charge of the attempted murder of two people in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, and died 10 days later.
"In this case, the judge held that there were doubts," lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, who represented Krishnan, told BenarNews.
The policemen were acquitted even though the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) reported on April 28 that Dharmendran had suffered 52 bruises while in police custody, which led to his death.
Following the release of the commission's report into the case, Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar said the EAIC should not have made the announcement because the case was sub judice – meaning it was under judicial consideration and therefore prohibited from public discussion.
EAIC was formed in 2011 to handle complaints of misconduct against 19 enforcement agencies including police, immigration and customs.
An EAIC spokesperson declined to comment on Wednesday's verdict, telling BenarNews that it was not appropriate to do so because the "case was just decided."
Acquittals repeated
Wednesday's ruling marked the second time that the four officers were acquitted in the case.
On Dec. 12, 2014, the High Court in Kuala Lumpur cleared the four officers, ruling there was no prima facie evidence to support the case against them. At the time, Judge Hashim stated the prosecution had failed to prove a motive and had provided only circumstantial evidence.
An Appeals' Court overruled the acquittal and ordered the four to present their defense following an appeal by the prosecution.
Dharmendran family attorney N. Surendran said his clients would continue to seek justice for their loved one, who was a husband and father.
He said his clients wanted an explanation from Khalid and Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali on their failure to secure any conviction for the crime.
"Dharmendran's widow and family members are disappointed and saddened by this verdict. The feeling of Dharmendran's family is indescribable," Surendran said, according to Free Malaysia Today.


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BENARNEWS- A top Malaysian opposition leader and staunch critic of Prime Minister Najib Razak's alleged involvement in a corruption scandal was himself arrested Wednesday on graft charges.
Lim Guan Eng, chief minister of the northern state of Penang and secretary-general of the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP), will be produced in court on two charges of graft on Thursday, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said in a statement.
Lim and a businesswoman were arrested following a directive from the office of the attorney general "to charge them in court tomorrow," the commission said.
Among the charges was the purchase of a bungalow by Lim last year, which complainants claimed was at a below-market price of 2.8 million ringgit ($693,000), party officials said.
The house is worth more than double that amount, some MPs from Najib's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party have said.
The MACC announced last month that it had completed its probe into the bungalow purchase and submitted the investigation papers to Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali.
Lim had denied any allegations of impropriety, saying in a statement earlier that the purchase was "an arms-length transaction between me and the seller on a willing buyer and willing seller basis."
Lim, who could be jailed if convicted of the charges, introduced open tenders for contracts and publicly declared his personal assets when his party took power of Penang state in 2008, pledging a clean government.
Lim, whose father, Lim Kit Siang, is a veteran opposition leader, leads one of three states run by the opposition. It has been attacking Najib over his links to a mammoth financial scandal tied to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Since July 2015, Najib has faced calls for his resignation amid allegations over the deposit into his private bank accounts of nearly U.S. $700 million in 1MDB-linked money. The PM has refused to step down, maintaining that he never took any of the money for personal gain.
1MDB and Najib have been the targets of investigations after the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported in July that nearly $681 million ended up in his private accounts. Since then, the newspaper reported that Najib had spent millions of dollars of money linked to 1MDB to fund a lavish lifestyle.
Malaysia's attorney general has cleared Najib of any wrongdoing.
'All-out assault' on opposition
Ahead of his court appearance on Thursday, Lim asked his supporters in the state "to stay strong facing this political crisis," DAP chief for Penang Chow Kon Yeow said in a statement.
"Penang DAP believes these allegations are politically motivated to kill the political career of [Lim]," he said.
Around 300 people, among them DAP members and opposition supporters, attended a candlelight vigil at the Penang's MACC office in a show of support for Guan Eng.
They shouted "Free Guan Eng" and "Arrest prime minister," according to a BenarNews correspondent who was at the scene.
A minister in Najib's office, Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who had raised Lim's purchase of the bungalow in March this year, said in a statement on Wednesday that "there are wrongdoings within the transaction and the people of Penang deserve nothing but the truth."
"It is clear, DAP's slogan of being the most clean political party in Malaysia does not hold water, post Lim Guan Eng's arrest by MACC today," he said.
But opposition lawmaker Charles Santiago described the arrest as an "act of intimidation and abuse," the Associated Press reported.
Another lawmaker, Tian Chua, said it could be a "prelude to an all-out assault on the entire opposition."


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BENARNEWS- A Malaysian court Thursday charged a leading opposition figure and chief minister of Penang for corruption-related offenses, which he called politically motivated and whose party declared that it would not seek his resignation from office.
Penang state Chief Minister and Democratic Action Party (DAP) Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng, who has criticized Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak for alleged graft in a scandal linked to a government-backed investment fund, appeared at the Penang High Court where he was charged with two counts of corruption.
The charges were aimed at crushing his political career, Lim said in a highly charged news conference after he posted bail, which the court in George Town set at 1 million ringgit (U.S. $250,000).
"Today we see that this is all a political attack against me as a chief minister," Lim told cheering supporters.
Following an ad-hoc meeting, Chow Kon Yeow, the chairman of DAP in the state, said the party's leadership in Penang had unanimously decided "there is no need for Lim to resign as chief minister or take leave from his duties."
Outside the courthouse about 1,000 people gathered in a show of support for Lim. When he took office as Penang's chief minister in 2008, he pledged he would govern the state cleanly and backed that up by publicly declaring his assets.
Lim was arrested on Wednesday by officers with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Lim, seller charged
Lim wore a black suit and red ties as he arrived at the courthouse at around 10 a.m.
Inside the courtroom, he was accused of committing graft over his approval in July 2014 of a rezoning application from Magnificent Emblem Sdn Bhd (MESB), in his capacity as the state's Planning Committee chairman.
He was specifically charged with corruption over his purchase of a 2.8 million ringgit (U.S. $693,000) bungalow said to have been sold at below-market value and abuse of power for allegedly rezoning a plot of land from agricultural to residential use. The offense carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of at least five times the total alleged graft, or 10,000 ringgit ($2,500), whichever is higher.
He was also charged with obtaining a kickback as a public servant by purchasing his bungalow from Phang Li Koon on July 28, 2015, when the actual market value was 4.27 million ringgit ($1 million), as an alleged reward for the rezoning approval. The offense is punishable with a maximum sentence of two years in jail, a fine, or both.
Lim pleaded not guilty to both charges.
After setting bail, the court ordered Lim to give two days' notice to the attorney general's office and the court if he planned to travel abroad.
Phang, who also appeared in court, pleaded not guilty to a charge of abetment for allegedly selling the bungalow below its actual market value. She was released on a 200,000 ringgit ($50,000) bail.
The next hearing on the charges is set for Sept 22.
'Willing buyer and seller'
Lim denied claims that he purchased the house at a discounted price for approving a land rezoning application by MESB, a company where Phang sits on the board of directors. That application did not pass.
"I have explained it over and over that the house was sold to be on a 'willing buyer and seller' basis between Phang and me," Lim said during the news conference. "She did not enjoy any privilege as there is no conflict of interest involved with the state government, and she is merely a friend to my wife [Betty Chew], and not a developer."
"I wish to stress here that if MESB had succeeded in converting the land status, it means that the company had benefitted from me, but I want to clarify that the company was not successful and the land status remains the same. As such, I want to ask, what is the privilege the company enjoyed from me?" he added.
'This is politics'
The charges against Lim represent the latest example of the prosecution of a leader of Malaysia's political opposition, said Penang-based criminal lawyer K. Prabhakaran, apparently alluding to the controversial imprisonment of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on a sodomy conviction.
"This is politics, definitely politics because there are others who are not being charged, whose cases are worse than his. For me this is a political maneuver by Barisan Nasional (BN) to suppress any opposition to them. Politically I foresee more of this (prosecution of opposition figures) to come," Prabhakaran told BenarNews, referring to Malaysia's ruling coalition.
Lim, the son of veteran opposition leader Lim Kit Siang, leads one of three states run by opponents of Prime Minister Najib's United Malays National Organization (UMNO), a founding member of  BN.
Lim's party, the DAP, has been attacking Najib over his alleged links to a financial scandal tied to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Since July 2015, Najib has faced calls for his resignation amid allegations over a deposit of nearly $700 million into his private bank accounts. Najib has refused to step down, maintaining that he never took any of the money for personal gain. Malaysia's attorney general has cleared the PM of any wrongdoing in the case.


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BENARNEWS-Malaysia failed to increase anti-trafficking efforts in 2015 and remains on the U.S. government's "Watch List" of countries that "do not fully meet minimum standards" for eliminating human trafficking, the State Department said Thursday.
In issuing its Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report 2016, the State Department kept Malaysia on its Tier 2 Watch List, a year after it controversially bumped the Southeast Asian country up to that position from the bottommost Tier 3 rank.
"The Government of Malaysia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so," the department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons said in its annual report on the state of human trafficking worldwide.
"Despite these measures, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing anti-trafficking efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Malaysia is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year," the report said.
The country is largely a destination point for men, woman and children from countries in South and Southeast Asia, some of whom end up in forced or bonded labor toiling at palm oil plantations and construction sites, or as domestic workers in people's homes, according to the report. Among these trafficked foreigners, there are women and a small number of children who are trafficked for sex.
Most of Malaysia's population of trafficked people is among an estimated 2 million undocumented people in the country, the report said.
"Malaysia initiated fewer trafficking investigations and prosecutions compared to last year, but increased convictions from three to seven. Sentences for convicted traffickers varied, but some were insufficiently stringent," the report said, adding, among other recommendations, that Malaysia should increase the number of cases of prosecuting and convicting people involved in human-smuggling rackets, "including of complicit officials."
'All out'
Malaysian government officials did not immediately issue any statements reacting to the State Department's report, which was officially released in Washington at 9 a.m. (local time) – Thursday evening in Kuala Lumpur.
In April, Malaysia's police chief said the country had "always been transparent" and had "never hidden any cross-border crimes from the world, especially when it comes to human trafficking," the state-run Bernama news agency reported.
"We will continue to go all out to combat human trafficking and cross-border issues," Bernama quoted Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar as saying on April 16.
The department's annual report covers the period from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.
But last year's TIP Report, which covered the last eight months of 2014 and the first three months of 2015, was published before the outbreak of a migration crisis across Southeast Asia and the discovery of jungle graves on both sides of the Thai-Malaysia border in May 2015, which contained the remains of trafficked  Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar as well as Bangladeshi migrants.
This year's TIP report touched on this episode.
"The government questioned several officials after the discovery of mass graves on the Thai border, but did not prosecute any officials during the reporting period for complicity in trafficking crimes," the report said.
'Unjustified upgrade'
Last year's migration crisis became full blown when Thailand launched a crackdown on human trafficking rings and imposed a maritime blockade of people-smuggling boats, which forced some 3,000 Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshis to come ashore in neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia.
On Thursday, the State Department promoted Thailand from Tier 3 to the Tier 2 Watch List.
Last year's TIP Report was controversial because Thailand was kept at Tier 3 but Malaysia was moved up to the Watch List. Human rights advocacy groups then criticized Washington for promoting Malaysia as an incentive for Kuala Lumpur to sign on to the  landmark  Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, which the Obama administration was then championing.
At the time, officials at State denied the allegations of favoritism for Malaysia, saying that the upgrade was based on an objective analysis of gathered facts.
After the State Department issued its newest TIP report, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, questioned the department's credibility over its rankings of countries including Malaysia.
"I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the State Department has failed to use this year's Trafficking in Persons Report to restore credibility to what should be a strong, clear statement of our national values. The rankings given to Malaysia, Cuba and other countries do not match the facts on the ground. To be sure, they do not match with the report's own accounts of what is going on in those countries," Menendez said in a news release.
"Malaysia's unjustified upgrade last year appears to have caused the State Department to irreversibly lower the bar for a country to be removed from Tier 3. I believe that rankings must be based on an objective assessment of the minimum standards in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, a country's efforts to meet them, and the impact that government actions are having on improving the lives of trafficking victims. No other considerations should enter into it," the senator added.


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BENARNEWS- Buoyed by fresh electoral wins along with ridding his party of rebels and charging vocal critics in court, Prime Minister Najib Razak is unlikely to face a serious challenge amid weak opposition, according to Malaysian political and social analysts.
Following a disastrous 2015 that included fending off calls for his resignation amid corruption allegations over deposits into his private bank accounts of nearly U.S. $700 million in money linked to a state investment fund, Najib's fortunes have seen an upturn in the past few months.
His winning streak includes May's elections where the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition extended its decades-long rule over the eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak with a decisive legislative win, followed by June's Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar constituency by-elections in Peninsular Malaysia. The BN coalition has ruled the country since independence in 1957.
The comfortable wins tightened Najib's grip on BN founding member United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and kept at bay his most vocal critics – former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former Kedah state Chief Minister Mukhriz Mahathir.
On June 24, Najib and UMNO's supreme council sacked both Muhyiddin and Mukhriz – the son of Najib foe and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Three days later, he reshuffled his cabinet, rewarding loyalists who had defended him against corruption allegations with ministerial posts.
On Wednesday, Najib's fiercest critic and Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister, Mahathir, was questioned by the police for the fourth time within a year for likening Najib to Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
The next day, another Najib staunch critic – chief minister of the northern state of Penang and secretary-general of the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) Lim Guan Eng was charged with two counts of graft. Lim claims the charges are politically motivated.
Political and social analysts expect Najib to call for an early election in 2017 and remain in power.  The 14th general election is scheduled for 2018, according to the nation's five-year cycle. Najib chose to keep reporters guessing about what he might do during a press conference on June 27.
"It depends when the next general election will be held. I don't know yet," Najib said.
BN remains 'people's choice'
Speaking to BenarNews, Political and Social Sciences professor Ahmad Atory Hussain said BN would be the people's choice and "continue to rule the country as evidence seen in the recent elections.
"But more importantly, the biggest factor is the opposition is disunited," he said.
Penang Institute political and social sciences chief Wong Chin Huat agreed.
"UMNO's triumphs should not surprise anyone," he said.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak political science assistant professor Jeniri Amir went even farther, suggesting that opposition infighting was strengthening BN.
"If they want to beat BN, they need to be under an umbrella like what BN has been doing for 70 years," Ahmad Atory told BenarNews.
Instead, the opposition is in disarray as dissidents within the faith-based Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) formed the National Trust Party (PAN) and joined the already existing opposition bloc that included the People's Justice Party (PKR) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP). PAS left the bloc in June 2015 and insisted it would remain as a second opposition bloc against BN.
Opposition needs a game changer
Analysts claim that voters are not interested in hearing about scandal-plagued state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, which has featured prominently in the opposition's anti-Najib platform. The opposition needs game-changing plans to turn around election results, they say.
"In rural areas, the bread-and-butter issue of development holds greater impact," Jeniri said.
A majority of Malaysians are not politically literate, so the opposition must find other issues to change votes, he added.
Chin Huat pointed out that BN's recent wins were caused by the "time-tested tactic of patronage politics," using development projects to garner votes.
Save Malaysia movement must name candidate
In addition, according to analysts, the Save Malaysia movement formed by civil rights groups and individuals to bring down Najib must be more coherent and, more importantly, name a candidate for prime minister.
"It is absurd for them to say Najib must resign, but they don't care who will be the successor. This is not a vacancy for an office boy. It is the top position for our country," Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, told BenarNews.
Wan Saiful said the movement should name either jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, or Selangor state Chief Minister Mentri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali as a candidate if Muhyiddin does not think he could muster enough support.
While the movement's main demand has been widely discussed, other important demands such as removing those associated with Najib, abolishing laws and policies that violate human rights and initiating institutional reforms have been forgotten, according to Wan Saiful.
Hata Wahari, Dennis Wong and Haireez Azeem Azizi contributed to this report.
An earlier version of this story contained inaccuracies in paragraph 17 regarding PAS.


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BENARNEWS- A Malaysian member of the so-called Islamic State (IS) based in Syria masterminded a hand grenade attack in the Malaysian capital area last week, authorities said Monday.
The June 28 attack at the Movida nightclub in Puchong, a town just south of Kuala Lumpur, injured eight people, including a female Chinese national.
In a press briefing Monday, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar described the incident as the first successful IS attack on Malaysian soil, and said the terror group was planning more attacks in the country.
"The two men who carried out the attack were also targeting senior leadership of the country, top police officers and senior members of the judiciary," Khalid was quoted saying in The Star, an English-language daily.
"They were receiving instructions directly from IS militant Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi from Syria," he added.
On the day of the attack, June 28, a Malaysian man who is fighting in Syria for IS posted a message on Facebook, claiming members of the extremist group were responsible for attack.
The screenshot of the message was posted on the social media site by Abu Hamza Al-Fateh, better known as Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi. The Facebook post is no longer visible.
Earlier, Malaysian authorities said the attack likely stemmed from a "business rivalry" between organized criminal gangs, or may have been an act of vengeance.
15 arrests
Since the attack, authorities had carried out a series of 15 arrests in five states, including two police officers, Khalid said.
"Among those arrested, two of them are low-level police officers in Kedah and Penang. One of them had planned to carry out robberies to help fund an IS cell while the other was protecting a senior IS member from detection," Khalid was quoted as saying in The Star.
The 15 suspects ranged in age from 19 to 52. Seven were nabbed in the state of Kedah, four in Selangor, two in Kuala Lumpur, one in Penang and one in Malacca, he said.
Two men arrested at a factory in Port Klang in Selangor state on July 1 are the ones who threw the grenade onto the patio of the Movida nightclub during the screening of a Euro 2016 football match, Khalid said. He did not identify the suspects.
"We believe they got the grenade, an old model used in World War II, from a neighboring country," he said.
Investigations revealed that the suspects had been recruited and given instructions on the attacks through social media, according to officials.
Malaysian police were on the lookout for two more men allegedly linked to the bombing, identified as Md Saifuddin Muji, 28, and Jasanizam Rosni, 33.
The latest arrests brought to 208 the number of people arrested in Malaysia for alleged links to IS. Of these, 64 had been charged in court, according to police statistics.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has agreed to technical-level talks for greater autonomy for Sarawak following complaints that the powers of the resource-rich state on Borneo have eroded since it joined Malaysia more than five decades ago.

Najib has been besieged by demands for greater devolution, including higher royalties for the state's oil and gas resources, since Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem led his party to a landslide victory in state elections in May.

Najib met Adenan on Monday in Putrajaya, the federal administrative capital, and they decided to proceed with talks between the top lawyers of the Federal and state governments as soon as possible.

"It was agreed that the Attorney-General will represent the Federal Government and the Sarawak Attorney-General for the state government to discuss these matters in further details in a technical meeting to be held as soon as possible," they said in a joint statement.

"The meeting's results show that close ties between the Federal and state governments will lead to effective administration and policies for the wellbeing of the people," Najib and Adenan said after the meeting.

Adenan had campaigned strongly for greater autonomy in the run-up to the May elections, calling on voters to give him a bigger mandate so he could "speak up" to Kuala Lumpur to regain lost powers since Sarawak joined Malaysia.

Sarawak together with Sabah, another state on Borneo island, as well as Singapore gained independence from Britain and joined the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963 under certain conditions.

Singapore left Malaysia in 1965 but Sabah and Sarawak remained, occasionally complaining since that their powers are being eroded.

"In the Malaysia Agreement we signed, all kinds of powers were given to Sarawak but now the Federal government just takes and takes and takes," Adenan was quoted as saying during his electoral campaign.

"I want those powers back as it was in 1963."

'Still one country'

But Adenan is against secession from Malaysia.

"We are still one country trying to improve everybody and let me say here  that the state government agrees with the sentiment expressed by the 'Sarawak for Sarawakians' movement but we do not agree to secession from the federation," the state-run Bernama news agency quoted Adenan as saying last year.

The "Sarawak for Sarawakians" movement has been trying to push for the state to secede from Malaysia.

The movement's founder, Peter John Jaban, believes that the 72-year-old chief minister can bring the state closer to autonomy.

"We have faith in him," Peter, a human rights campaigner and deejay for Radio Free Sarawak, a sister organization of U.K.-based investigative outlet The Sarawak Report, told BenarNews.

Faisal Hazis, from the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said Adenan had to heap pressure on Najib, who would have to rely heavily on Sarawak to win upcoming national elections.

"Since autonomy is one of the main campaign issues in the last election, Adenan has to make sure that the promise will be upheld," Faisal told BenarNews.

However, Sarawak businessman Dylan Tan was rather skeptical, saying that Najib might try to drag out any decision on the issue.

"Adenan needs to push harder to make his presence felt, as he only has one term to ensure what he promised is fulfilled, while Najib on the other hand is facing a tough political challenge which may drown the Sarawakians' aspiration," he told BenarNews.

In May, Adenan spearheaded a decisive electoral win of 72 out of 82 seats in the state's legislate assembly.

He took office in 2014 from Abdul Taib Mahmud, the current governor of Sarawak who held the post of chief minister for 33 years despite allegations of corruption.

Autonomous power

Sarawak enjoys a degree of autonomy in administration, immigration and judicial matters, including controlling the entry and residence of non-Sarawakians.

People in Sarawak want the Malaysian government to give their state a greater share of revenue from its own resources and Sarawak's biggest demand is that royalties from oil and gas production be increased from 5 percent to 20 percent.

During the electoral campaign in May, Najib, who leads the Barisan Nasional coalition, had rejected Sarawak's demand for greater autonomy, saying "it was not the right time to pursue negotiations because government revenues had shrunk due to a sharp drop in oil and gas prices."

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BENARNEWS- Malaysia needs to do much more to stop human trafficking and modern-day slavery, says the head of a local NGO that has worked for 25 years to champion rights for migrants and refugees as well as expose abuses against them.
"The crime of human trafficking is a major problem in this country, as Malaysia does not have a good system that protects immigrants, refugees and those who have been manipulated or abused," Tenaganita Director Glorene Das told BenarNews,
"Nobody wants to be a victim of human trafficking, illegal immigration ... [or] being treated like garbage and enslaved without any human rights protection," she said.
Tenaganita and other NGOs have criticized the Malaysian government for allegedly not doing enough to shield people who are trafficked into the country from being exploited or abused in other ways on Malaysian soil, and who are among an estimated population of two million undocumented foreign migrants in the country.
'Unearned prize'
The criticism of Malaysia's handling of the trafficking issue deepened last month after the U.S. State Department kept the country on a watch list of countries in its annual report on human trafficking.
A year ago, the State Department bumped Malaysia up from its Tier 3 blacklist of countries, which ranked lowest in efforts to prevent and combat the problem. Critics said Malaysia was promoted as an incentive for joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal being negotiated then by the Obama administration.
Since the department's latest Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report came out on June 30, critics have argued that Malaysia didn't deserve to remain on the Tier 2 Watch List this year.
"Despite a reformed victim protection system, migrant workers continue to suffer on palm oil plantations and in electronics factories. Though trafficking convictions increased last year, investigations and prosecutions decreased. And no one has been held accountable for the mass graves found last year on the Thai border," an editorial in the Washington Post said on July 4.
"Malaysia did not deserve a promotion last year, and it does not deserve this year to keep a prize it did not earn."
Officials at the department have defended the report, saying it was based on impartial information and rigorous research into conditions in Malaysia.
The report, however, did contain some criticism of Malaysia's human rights record.
"The Government of Malaysia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so," the TIP report said. "Despite these measures, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing anti-trafficking efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Malaysia is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year."
"Malaysia initiated fewer trafficking investigations and prosecutions compared to last year, but increased convictions from three to seven. Sentences for convicted traffickers varied, but some were insufficiently stringent," the report said
Among other things, the State Department recommended that Malaysia increase its caseload of prosecutions and convictions of people involved in human-smuggling rackets, "including of complicit officials."
Boy trafficked into sex trade
 
According to Gloria Das, concerns over human trafficking grew sharply last year with the discovery of scores of bodies of suspected human-trafficking victims, which were found in mass graves in the jungle along Malaysia-Thailand border.
The discovery of the graves in Wang Kelian, Perlis state, indicated that a trafficking syndicate was active and supported by corrupt law enforcement officials, Glorene said.
Last month, a Malaysian court sentenced a Bangladeshi man to 10 years after he pleaded guilty to three charges of human smuggling and trafficking in the area where 106 graves believed to contain the remains of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants were found in May 2015.
Tenaganita, which is marking its 25th anniversary this year, recently rescued a teenaged boy from Bangladesh who was sexually abused, according to Glorene. The common belief that the sex trade only involves women or girls is wrong, she said.
"The boy and his cousin boarded a boat in 2014 to look for jobs outside. He finally fell into the hands of ruthless traffickers who regard him as a commodity – trying to sell his body parts on the black market.
"He managed to flee the dealer but, unfortunately, fell into the hands of modern slavery – a sex trafficking syndicate for a few months," Glorene told Benar.
Tenaganita later enrolled the boy in a recovery program. Complicating his situation was the lack of "safe houses" for men because immigration centers do not provide such treatment, but the teen has returned to Bangladesh and is now safe, according to Tenaganita.
Government optimistic
Meanwhile, Malaysia's deputy prime minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi expressed optimism that Malaysia would improve its record and might be promoted in next year's TIP Report.
The country is taking steps to allow victims of trafficking to move freely or to live outside government protected homes, including allowing them to work in the country, he said.
Amendments to the country's Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM 2007) law will aid in addressing human trafficking, according to the deputy PM.
The government will also do more to increase its cooperation with NGOs that work to protect migrants from exploitation, and that should help alleviate the problem, Zahid said.
Additionally, Malaysia will keep cooperating with strategic partners, including the United States, to increase the number of convictions for such crimes, he said.


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BENARNEWS- A leader of the Malaysian opposition Friday called on the government to publicly release a report by the Auditor-General into the financial scandal-plagued state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Democratic Action Party (DAP) leader Lim Kit Siang issued the call a day after a British whistleblower website, The Sarawak Report, published an article saying that billions of dollars had gone missing from 1MDB. The website cited a leaked copy of the Auditor General's report on the troubled investment fund, a document classified under Malaysia's Official Secrets Act.
In a blog post calling for the auditor's report to be declassified and publicized, Lim questioned whether the Malaysian parliament was being denied an opportunity and materials needed to decide if its Public Accounts Committee (PAC) did a competent job in investigating 1MDB.
1MDB has been at the heart of a corruption scandal plaguing Prime Minister Najib Razak since last July, when news reports emerged that nearly U.S. $700 million linked to the fund had been deposited into his private bank accounts in 2013.
"As a first step, the report of the AG on 1MDB which had been submitted to the PAC should be made public forthwith without any further delay, which will allow members of parliament the opportunity to decide whether to approve or demand further PAC investigations on the ground that the PAC report touched only on the 'tip of the iceberg' of the global 1MDB scandal," Lim wrote in his blogpost.
The committee presented the Auditor-General's report to parliament in April, but lawmakers took no action then on the grounds that the document was classified under the secrets act.
"Information is freely available pointing to 1MDB scandal as a heinous crime which is global embezzlement, money-laundering and corruption scandal," Lim wrote in his blog.
"How far can the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister, the Cabinet, Parliament, the PAC, the various law enforcement and investigative agencies, whether Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Police, Bank Negara, Attorney-General's Chamber, continue to play the collective role of the three traditional monkeys of eyes that see not, ears that hear not, and mouths that speak not," he asked.
1MDB is under investigation over claims of money laundering and embezzlement in Malaysia and one-half dozen other countries. Malaysia's attorney general has cleared Najib of any wrongdoing despite calls for his resignation, and the prime minister has denied wrongdoing or taking any of the 1MDB-linked money for personal gain.
Leak: Threat to national security?
Separately, DAP National Publicity Secretary Tony Pua said in a statement that, in the spirit of the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday, Najib should "honestly and decently" declassify the auditor's report, adding that it was never meant to be permanently classified as a secret document.
The Sarawak Report, which covers controversial Malaysian issues, promised to publish more details from the AG's report in the future. The website has been blocked in Malaysia since 2015 but can be accessed in other countries.
On Friday, Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak urged Malaysian police to investigate the leak "urgently and expeditiously" to prevent the release of other official documents, which, he said, could put the country's security in jeopardy.
People's Justice Party (PKR) Vice President Rafizi Ramli was arrested on April 5 after allegedly divulging a page from the Auditor-General's report, in violation of Malaysia's law of having unauthorized access to or disseminating classified information. He faces up to seven years in prison, if convicted, according to local media reports.


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BENARNEWS- Women who work at fast-food outlets, supermarkets and stores in the Malaysian state of Kelantan will soon be required to wear long sleeves while serving customers.
Officials there this week announced a new statewide regulation that will take effect in January and will require female employees at such commercial establishments to cover themselves up in the workplace more than they already are.
In predominantly Islamic and religiously conservative Kelantan, all Muslim women are required to cover the entire body when appearing in public – except for the face and hands up to the wrists.
The custom conforms with awrah, an Islamic practice that governs how people cover their bodily parts while appearing in public. Men are required to abide by the practice, too, but the dress code is different for them. While out in public, men in Kelantan must always cover themselves at least from the navel down to the knees, according to the code.
Until now, most employees at fast-food restaurants and markets have worn short-sleeved shirts in the workplace but, starting next year, those establishments statewide will be required to dress their female workers in uniforms with long-sleeved tops.
But some women who live in the state, where members of both sexes queue up in separate lines at markets and where public benches are segregated by gender, and who would be most affected by the new regulation, don't seem to mind it too much.
The new regulation is a good move for business owners because it is important to receive God's blessings in running businesses since "covering awrah (bodily parts) is compulsory in Islam," Ernie Abd Manan, a woman who works as a trader in state capital Kota Bharu, told BenarNews.
Hasnah, a trader from Wakaf Che Yeh, said she agreed with the regulation but hoped the authorities would not be too strict about it and consider employees' comfort in doing their jobs.
"Employees should be allowed to wear a short-sleeved uniform with the option of wearing hand-socks or jackets. Covering awrahis good especially when it comes to cleanliness if they [employees] are preparing food," Hasnah told BenarNews.
Local businessmen say they will also abide by the regulation, though they don't necessarily welcome the rule that could drive up their operating costs.
"We have to support it because we are Muslims. We may not like it but God has said it, so we have to support it," said Ahmad Nazri Che Omar, chairman of the Siti Khadijah Market Association of Bumiputera Traders.
"We cannot say no because this is the law of God," he told BenarNews.
'A method of education'
Abdul Fattah Mahmood, chairman of Kelantan's Local Government, Housing, Youth and Sports Committee, announced the new regulation during an Eid gathering in the state on Monday.
"A majority [of women] has chosen to cover their bodies by themselves. What we have announced is to prove the dynamism of Islam," he told BenarNews."We are confident that with the new uniform, more will follow. This is also a method of education," Abdul Fattah added.
The new regulation appears to build upon a policy implemented nearly two years ago by local authorities, who instituted fines of 500 ringgit (U.S. $126) on women traders and female workers at stores who were caught not covering their hair or wearing tight-fitting outfits.
Non-Muslim female workers in Kelantan will not be required to follow the new regulation.
"The ruling is a must for Muslim women workers, but non-Muslims are encouraged to wear proper clothes. I would like to thank the non-Muslim community in the state for their support of the state government's policy," the New Straits Times newspaper quoted Abdul Fattah as saying.
Helping to 'elevate' women: PAS
Kelantan, whose population of 1.68 million people is 97 percent Muslim, is a state that is almost synonymous with the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which has controlled the state government for 43 years and has been in power there non-interrupted since 1990.
Kelantan is the only one of Malaysia's 13 states and three federal territories ruled by the faith-based party.
The regulation that will take effect in January 2017 will be enforced under local bylaws by which local councils issue annual permits to businesses.
The new rule will "preserve the dignity and self-esteem" of Muslim women, according to PAS information chief Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi.
"The issue here is the awrah. Islam requires a Muslim woman to cover herself, so the ruling by the Kelantan state government is actually helping to elevate the status of the Muslim women.
"Most importantly, at the same time, it gives a clearer picture that Islam does not hinder the freedom of earning a living, working and socializing among women as long it is within the limits such as covering the awrah. Actually it gives more safety to women themselves," he told BenarNews.


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BENARNEWS- An Australian university has decided to rename a campus plaza honoring alumnus and Sarawak Gov. Abdul Taib Mahmud, amid pressure from environmental activist groups who have alleged that he has profited immensely from illegal logging in the eastern Malaysian state.
A spokesman for the University of Adelaide said its council had decided in April to rename the Taib Mahmud Court to the Colombo Plan Alumni Court, and that new signs were being posted to reflect the change.
"The university's council is free to name facilities as it wishes, it had no obligation in relation to this court," university spokesman Lachlan Parker said in an emailed response to questions from BenarNews.
"The University wished to honor all of its Colombo Plan graduates, who include two presidents of Singapore, the governor of Sarawak and many prominent Asian government and business leaders," he said, referring to alumni who were admitted as students through Colombo Plan scholarships.
The decision to make the change came after a two-year campaign by the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) and the Bob Brown Foundation (BBF) to pressure the university to stop honoring Taib, a former long-time chief minister of Sarawak who has been accused of benefiting from the illegal cutting of timber and clearing of tropical rainforests in the states, BMF said in a statement on Wednesday.
BMF is a Swiss-based NGO that campaigns for forest conservation in Sarawak and BBF is an Australian environmentalist group.
In November 2015, indigenous Penan community leaders from Sarawak sent a letter to University of Adelaide Vice Chancellor Warren Bebbington requesting that it pay back all financial gifts received from Taib because the money was needed for Sarawak's rural development and conservation of its rainforest.
BMF and BBF also called on the university to pay back AU $400,000 (U.S. $305,000) received from Taib, who is better known as Pak Uban (white-haired uncle).
Parker said that the university had had no contact with Taib for more than a decade.
Taib, who received a law degree in 1960 and honorary doctorate in 1994 from the university in South Australia, has been a major benefactor to the university, its website indicated. The chief minister of Sarawak for 33 years, Taib became governor in 2014 despite allegations of corruption that have mainly come from abroad.
In May, Malaysian media reported that an Australian senate committee had opened an investigation into money-laundering allegations against Taib's family over multi-million dollar real estate deals and assets in Australia, including AU$55 million given to the Adelaide Hilton hotel, which Taib's family owns.
Sarawak social activist Peter John Jaban said it was about time that the university removed Taib's name from the plaza.
Save Rivers Network secretary Mark Bujang called the university's original decision to name the plaza for Taib inappropriate in light of the complaints against him.
Taib's office did not respond to BenarNews requests for comment.


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BENARNEWS- A proposal by former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to launch a new party could attract people who are unhappy with corruption allegations surrounding the current PM and who question Najib Razak's leadership of the ruling party, analysts told BenarNews.
The plan announced this week by Mahathir could work because those looking to break from the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) may find existing opposition parties unappealing and not easy to connect with, Wong Chin Huat, who heads the political science and social science unit at the Penang Institute, told BenarNews.
"Some people will complain about having another new party [but] with time, they will realize that perhaps only another splinter party can take another chunk out of UMNO's support base. The last splinter party, the People's Justice Party (PKR), may have reached its maximum for now," he said.
Sivamurugan Pandian, a political analyst at Universiti Sains Malaysia, agreed, saying a new party might recruit members who believe in its goals.
"It should also depend on what is the struggle of the political party. If it is beyond something which we have already seen in the existing parties, then people might be interested in looking at what it has to offer," the professor told BenarNews.
The biggest challenge is to mobilize nationwide support, Sivamurugan said.
Mahathir, who served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003 and leads the Save Malaysia movement that aims to remove Prime Minister Najib from office, announced Thursday that efforts were under way to form a new party that would contest Malaysia's 14th general election. While scheduled for 2018, recent local election wins could lure Najib to call an early election for next year, observers have said.
Opposition reacts
Mahathir's proposal is leading to calls for cooperation from other opposition leaders.
Pakatan Harapan (PH), the existing opposition bloc, consists of PKR – led by jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim – the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the National Trust Party (PAN).  A faith-based party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), split from the bloc in June 2015, insisting that it would act as a second opposition bloc against Najib's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
"An opposition bloc that is united and strong does not have to be in a formal coalition. It can be Pakatan Harapan consisting of more than the current three parties, it could be Pakatan Harapan plus plus," PH's secretariat chief, Saifuddin Abdullah, said in a statement issued Friday, according to Malay Mail.
A PKR leader responded positively to the proposal.
"We discussed many things with him and we agreed to move toward cooperation to have a coalition with all the opposition parties in Malaysia," PKR Vice President Chua Tian Chang told Agence France-Presse.
Mahathir says 'no' to leading new party
Speaking to reporters after a three-hour meeting in Putrajaya with several opposition leaders and former UMNO members, Mahathir, 91, on Thursday dismissed calls for him to lead the new party or to be a candidate in the next general election.
"I think there is a need for a new party to be formed, to represent people who are not yet in the group but wish and have the same objective as this group," he said.
Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, Mahathir has campaigned against Najib over allegations of corruption against the prime minister, including reports that nearly U.S. $700 million was funnelled into Najib's personal bank accounts through entities linked to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Najib has denied any wrongdoing or that he used any of the money for personal gain. In January, Malaysia's attorney general cleared the prime minister of potential corruption charges, saying the money was a donation from Saudi Arabia's royal family.
Few UMNO members expected to join
Azizuddin Mohd Sani, a professor of politics and international relations at Universiti Utara Malaysia, predicts that only a few UMNO members will join the new party despite Mahathir's huge influence nationwide.
"The question remains whether this party will receive support from the people," he told BenarNews. "This really is how this new party can contribute to the people."
Meanwhile, political analyst Mohamad Redzuan Othman predicted that the new party would not last for long because, in his view, Mahathir's only aim is to remove Najib from office. If that objective were to be achieved, Mahathir would re-join UMNO, similar to what he did when his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was forced to resign as prime minister in 2009.
"He needs a new party because his objective is different than DAP's and PKR's. Removing Najib is the sole objective," the analyst told BenarNews.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian authorities have blocked a website that disseminated an electronic newspaper published by the Southeast Asian wing of the extremist group Islamic State (IS), Malaysia's police chief told BenarNews on Tuesday.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), which regulates internet inside the country, has blocked alfatihin.com, the website associated with the e-publication by the same name, Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed.
"Yes, we did request the MCMC to block it and it has since not been accessible here. We will continue to monitor it," Khalid said.
Meanwhile, officials in neighboring Indonesia suggested that the creators of the IS-backed website may have been blocked it themselves. The site, seen by BenarNews earlier, is also inaccessible in Thailand, which has a large Muslim population concentrated in its insurgency-wracked Deep South region, and other countries including the United States.
In Malaysia last week, Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak announced that the MCMC had blocked 11 websites and 22 URLs allegedly involved in propagating the ideology of IS in the Malay language – variations of which are spoken in Malaysia, Indonesia, southern Thailand, Brunei and the southern Philippines.
The commission also called on the public to report any websites that promote IS or help spread its propaganda, and has set up a hotline so people can tip off authorities to such sites.
"It is hoped that continuous monitoring and action by MCMC and other agencies will contain the spread of the ideology by this terrorist organization through social media," state-run news agency Bernama quoted the minister as saying.
According to reports, the 20-page electronic newspaper version of Al Fatihin was published on June 20 by Katibah Nusantara, IS's Southeast Asian wing that has a combat unit in Syria and Iraq made up exclusively of Malaysian, Indonesians and other Malay-speaking fighters.
"This is part of the IS strategy and propaganda to suggest to the world that they have a strong support in southeast Asia region, where there are significant populations of Muslims such as in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei," Zaini Othman, who directs the Center for Strategic and Security Studies at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, told BenarNews.
'The conquerors'
In Indonesia, computer users can no longer access the Al Fatihin website, but users there and in other countries can access a PDF version of the newspaper via the Internet Archive website – through which BenarNews obtained a copy.
"We didn't block the website. If it is inaccessible now, it could be that they [the owner] blocked it themselves," Ismail Cawidu, a spokesman for the Indonesian Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, told BenarNews on Tuesday.
"Al Fatihin" is Arabic for "The conquerors."
The Malay-language tagline beneath the banner (pictured) describes the publication as a newspaper for Malay speakers who have migrated to IS's self-proclaimed state in territory that the group controls in Syria and Iraq.
The first edition of the newspaper featured articles including a report praising the deaths of scores of Philippine soldiers who were killed during a military operation targeting an IS-linked group in the southern Philippines – a hotbed of Islamic militant activity – and a report about a battalion of the local Abu Sayyaf Group that pledged allegiance IS.
'IS is losing ground': analyst
According to security experts in the region, Islamic State is trying to increase its reach in Southeast Asia through the dissemination of the newspaper and other propaganda materials, and is targeting Muslim readers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and southern Thailand.
"IS is losing ground and manpower [in the Middle East]. It needs more public attention for new recruits, and it needs to consolidate support from terrorist groups to conduct attacks in their name, which in turn drives their propaganda," Muhammad Haziq Jani, a research analyst with the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore, who recently co-authored an academic paper on the publication of IS's first Malay-language newspaper, told BenarNews.
S. Sundramoorthy, an assistant professor in criminology at University Science of Malaysia, agreed that the newspaper was a new recruiting tool for IS, which has aggressively reached out to potential recruits in Southeast Asia via social media.
"The goal remains the same – to recruit supporters in the region and ... rural folks in Southeast Asia who lack [access to information technology]," Sundramoorthy told BenarNews.
"They have adopted strategies commonly used by business entities to promote their products or services through all possible tools, including the print media, to promote their ideology," he added.


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BENARNEWS- U.S. authorities Wednesday filed court papers to "forfeit and recover" more than $1 billion in assets associated with what they called a global conspiracy to launder funds stolen from  a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund overseen by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.
The dozen civil forfeiture complaints brought by the Department of Justice did not name Najib but linked him to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB, scandal. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said it was an "international conspiracy" to launder funds through American institutions.
The bid to seize the assets is the first action by the U.S. government in relation to the 1MDB investigations for money-laundering involving at least five other countries, including Singapore and Switzerland.
Najib had been tied to the scandal for the past year since the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported in July 2015 that nearly $700 million ended up in his private bank accounts.
Since then, the newspaper reported that millions of dollars of money linked to 1MDB, a company wholly owned by the Malaysian government, was spent by Najib to fund a lavish lifestyle.
"Today, the Department of Justice filed a civil complaint seeking to forfeit and recover more than $1 billion in assets associated with an international conspiracy to launder funds stolen from" 1MDB, a company wholly owned by the government of Malaysia," Lynch told a press conference in Washington.
She said that the $1 billion in assets was "just a portion of more than $3 billion that was stolen from 1MDB and laundered through American financial institutions in violation of U.S. law."
"1MDB was created by the Malaysian government to promote economic development through international partnerships and foreign direct investment, with the ultimate goal of improving the well-being of the Malaysian people," Lynch said.
"Unfortunately, a number of corrupt 1MDB officials treated this public trust as a personal bank account," she said.
Malaysia responds
Najib has denied wrongdoing or taking money for personal gain over the 1MDB affair.
Reacting to the American legal action, Najib's spokesman, Tengku Sariffuddin, said the Malaysian government would cooperate with any international investigation into the 1MDB case.
"We note the United States Department of Justice's civil lawsuits brought against various assets. As previously stated, the Malaysian Government will fully cooperate with any lawful investigation of Malaysian companies or citizens in accordance with international protocols," he said in a statement issued on Thursday (Malaysian time).
"As the Prime Minister has always maintained, if any wrongdoing is proven, the law will be enforced without exception."
Tengku Sariffuddin noted that the Malaysian Attorney General had found that that "no crime was committed" over the 1MDB case. He acknowledged however that it is still the subject of an investigation by the police.
'Malaysian Official 1'
The U.S. lawsuit made more than 30 references to "Malaysian Official 1" – an obvious reference to Najib, who had been accused of receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in funds siphoned from 1MDB.
A person with direct knowledge of the investigation confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that "Malaysian Official 1" was indeed Najib.
The lawsuit cited a statement made in January by Malaysian Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali over the transfer of nearly $700 million to the account of "Malaysian Official 1."
Apandi had confirmed that $681 million was transferred into the personal account of Najib.
The top Malaysian government lawyer had said Najib had not committed any crime, and that the money in the prime minister's bank account was a political donation from the Saudi royal family and that he (Najib) had returned the bulk of it ($620 million) to the Saudi royal family.
The lawsuit traced funds that flowed between the account of "Malaysian Official 1" and "Eric" Tan Kim Loong, a business associate of Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low who is a close associate of Najib.
Also identified in the lawsuit was Najib's stepson Riza Aziz, the founder of Red Granite Pictures, which produced the Oscar-nominated "The Wolf of Wall Street."
All those identified were not charged with any crimes.
The defendants in the civil lawsuits are the properties that the U.S. authorities want to seize.
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The U.S. government is seeking forfeiture of the Park Lane Hotel as part of a series of lawsuits to recover more than $1 billion taken from Malaysia's 1MDB. [Courtesy U.S. Department of Justice]
Among the items that the U.S. government is seeking in forfeiture are a bombardier jet, penthouses and condominiums in New York City, properties in Beverly Hills, Calif., including a mansion, artwork by Vincent Van Gogh and paintings by Claude Monet.
The lawsuit said Tan was "the stated beneficial owner of several bank accounts into which misappropriated 1MDB funds were transferred."
It claimed that U.S. $681 million was transferred from the Tanore account, whose "recorded beneficial owner" was Tan, to Malaysian Official 1 between March 21 and 25, 2013. Out of this, about $620 million was returned to the Tanore account in August 2013.
Kleptocracy initiative
The court case is the largest single action ever brought by the Justice Department's Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, which was established in 2010 to forfeit the proceeds of foreign official corruption and, where possible, to use the recovered assets to benefit the people harmed.
"The United States will not be a safe haven for assets stolen by corrupt foreign officials," FBI Deputy Director Andrew G. McCabe said.
An FBI criminal investigation into money laundering and fraud over the 1MDB case also is ongoing in the U.S., according to a person familiar with the probe, the WSJ reported Wednesday.
"Public corruption, no matter where it occurs, is a threat to a fair and competitive global economy. The FBI is committed to working with our foreign and domestic partners to identify and return these stolen assets to their legitimate owners, the Malaysian people," McCabe said.
The lawsuit charged that Najib's step son's company received $238 million from some of the transaction linked to 1MDB, of which some was used to fund his movie production company, Red Granite Pictures, and to purchase luxury real estate in the U.S. and Britain.
"This is a case where life imitated art," U.S. Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell said in a statement.
"The associates of these corrupt 1MDB officials are alleged to have used some of the illicit proceeds of their fraud scheme to fund the production of 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' a movie about a corrupt stockbroker who tried to hide his own illicit profits in a perceived foreign safe haven.
"But whether corrupt officials try to hide stolen assets across international borders – or behind the silver screen – the Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that there is no safe haven."


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Thursday that his administration was "serious about good governance," as at least two countries began seizing assets linked to money misappropriated from beleaguered state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Najib spoke in Kuala Lumpur, a day after the United States Justice Department (DOJ) filed a dozen lawsuits seeking the forfeiture and recovery of over $1 billion in assets allegedly paid for with stolen 1MDB money.
Although the U.S. lawsuits did not name Najib, he has been scrutinized for the past year over alleged corruption associated with the state fund. The prime minister was behind the launch of 1MDB in 2009, an investment vehicle that was established to spur development in Malaysia. He chaired the fund's advisory board until its dissolution two months ago.
The U.S. authorities linked Najib indirectly to questionable dealings associated to what they called "a global conspiracy" to launder money stolen from 1MDB.
A person involved with the U.S. investigation told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Wednesday that Najib was in fact "Malaysian Official 1" (MO1) who figured prominently in court papers filed by the DOJ.
Nearly $700 million from a bond sale by 1MDB in 2013 (1MDB) was transferred to a bank account held by "Malaysian Official 1," according to court documents.
On Thursday the prime minister urged people not to jump to any conclusions, adding it was important to note that the lawsuits were civil, and no criminal charges had been filed.
"Those people involved will have their say through the process in the United States," Najib told reporters. "I want to say categorically that we are serious about good governance so anything that is against the law, we want the process to take its course."
Elsewhere, authorities in Singapore announced Thursday that they had seized assets totalling $240 million (U.S. $177 million) – of which $120 million (U.S. $88.5 million) was from a close ally of Najib's, Low Taek Jho and his immediate family.
"Appropriate actions will be brought against those who have broken Singapore's laws," the Singaporean Attorney General's Chambers, the Commercial Affairs Department of Singapore police, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, said in a joint statement.
In Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice announced that it had some valuable works of art that had been identified in the U.S. lawsuits as being linked to laundered 1MDB money, Reuters reported. The works seized by Swiss authorities included a drawing by Van Gogh valued at $5.4 million, and two paintings by Monet valued at $92.5 million.
'Malaysia will always uphold the rule of law'
In Kuala Lumpur, a spokesman for Najib said the Malaysian government would cooperate with international investigations into the 1MDB case.
"As the prime minister has always maintained, if any wrongdoing is proven, the law will be enforced without exception," Tengku Sariffuddin said in a statement.
Separately, Malaysian Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali came to Najib's defense.
"I wish to clarify that at no point in the civil claim filed by the U.S. Department of Justice is the prime minister named as a defendant or has been alleged to have committed any criminal wrong," he said.
In January, Apandi cleared Najib of any wrongdoing over $681 million that was transferred into the prime minister's personal account in March 2013.
According to a statement issued from Apandi's office, he also "expressed his strong concerns at the insinuations and allegations that have been made against the prime minister of alleged criminal wrong doing" in relation to the U.S. lawsuits, adding that a Malaysian police investigation into alleged mismanagement at 1MDB was ongoing.
"As the public prosecutor, the attorney general will not hesitate to initiate proceedings against the perpetrators of criminal acts provided there is sufficient evidence to do so. Any wrongdoing must and will be punished. Malaysia will always uphold the rule of law," the statement from the AG's office said.
Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar, who heads a special-task force investigating 1MDB, declined to comment on the lawsuits but said that police had nearly finished the first phase of their investigation, including taking statements from more than 25 people.
"For the second phase, we will send our officers overseas to obtain documents, to record statements from witnesses who are outside of the country and it will take time," Khalid told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.
For its part, 1MDB issued a press release saying that U.S. justice officials and investigators from other foreign agencies had not contacted it over their investigations, but that would "fully cooperate" with those probes "subject to international protocols."
Among a web of allegations contained in the U.S. lawsuits, the DOJ said it had traced funds that flowed between an account held by MO1 and Tan Kim Loong, a business associate of Low. Also identified in the lawsuits was Najib's stepson, Riza Aziz, the founder of movie company Red Granite Pictures.
"To Red Granite's knowledge, none of the funding it received four years ago was in any way illegitimate and there is nothing in today's civil lawsuit claiming that Red Granite knew otherwise," the company said in a statement.
"Red Granite continues to cooperate fully with all inquiries and is confident that when the facts come out, it will be clear that Riza Aziz and Red Granite did nothing wrong."
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The Swiss government says it has seized this painting by Monet, valued at $57.5 million, and two other major works of art following an announcement that the U.S. government sought  to recover assets valued at more than $1 billion, and which was  allegedly paid for with money stolen from Malaysia's 1MDB. [Courtesy U.S. Department of Justice]
Malaysians react
Malaysian opposition figures Thursday seized on the news of the lawsuits filed by the U.S. government.
Najib's fiercest critic, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, called for a referendum and rally to demand Najib's removal from office because, he said, Malaysia's current leader had refused over the past 12 months to give in to such popular calls.
"Malaysians are timid. In other countries, millions would take to streets," Mahathir told a news conference. "I think we should have a peaceful rally to demand his removal."
Opposition leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail called on the Malaysian cabinet to advise the king to order a royal commission of inquiry into the allegations around 1MDB.
"I believe the Malaysian people want Najib to go on leave as prime minister to avoid suspicion of abuse of power to halt or hinder the full investigation on this very serious issue," said Wan Azizah, the president of the People's Justice Party (PKR) and wife of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
Calls for Najib's ouster have grown since the Wall Street Journal broke a story in July 2015 about $681 million of 1MDB-linked money ending up in Prime Minister Najib's personal bank accounts. Since then, the WSJ and other media have reported on lavish spending linked to the prime minister.
Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Bersih 2.0, a grassroots coalition advocating clean government, urged Najib to resign immediately to allow for independent investigations to be held without executive interference.
Dzulkefly Ahmad, director of strategy for the National Trust Party, urged the supreme council of Najib's party, the United Malays National Organization, to save the UMNO "they claim to love" and save the nation by sacking the prime minister.
"If you disappoint and fail the nation again, rest assured that you will be assigned to the dustbin of history as the traitors of the nation," Dzulkefly told BenarNews. "The supreme council is the last bastion to get rid of Najib, the man who single handedly usurped all powers and is responsible for bringing this failing nation into a tail-spin and to the abyss of self-destruction."
Haireez Azeem Azizi contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- The Malaysian prime minister's brother has called for his government to be transparent in light of damaging allegations in U.S. lawsuits that seek to recover more than $1 billion allegedly stolen from state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
"Democracy is not just about elections, it's also about integrity of institutions, the rule of law and freedom of the media," Nazir Razak wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday night.
For the past year his brother, Prime Minister Najib Razak, has been embroiled in a corruption scandal linked to 1MDB. Now, the new U.S. lawsuits appear to connect Najib to dubious activities and dealings involving key players named in court documents. A person close to the American investigation identified Najib as "Malaysian Official 1," who is often referred to in the court papers, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.
Nazir, the chairman of the CIMB group, one of the largest banks in Malaysia, did not specifically name his brother in social media posts. But he pointed to a headline from a year ago in the Malaysian financial newspaper The Edge, which led to his brother's government suspending the publication for three months.
"Exactly 12 months ago, this headline got them suspended. Today, the U.S. Attorney General is saying pretty much the same thing," Nazir said, alluding to a headline in The Edge that referred to Low Taek Jho, a close political ally of his brother who is named as a party in the suits brought this week by the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ).
Meanwhile, the WSJ, which broke the story about $681 million in money linked to 1MDB being deposited in Najib's personal bank accounts in March 2013 – which led to calls for the prime minister's resignation – said in an editorial that the losses would catch up to him and his supporters. Elsewhere, a White House spokesman told reports that President Barack Obama told Najib last year that the Malaysian government needed to be transparent.
'Toxic' atmosphere: Nazir
In January, Malaysia's attorney general claimed that the $681 million was a donation from the Saudi royal family and was used to fund candidates in the 2013 general election. Najib, for his part, has consistently denied any wrongdoing regarding the donation and as well as reports about lavish spending linked to 1MDB money.
His brother Nazir himself was subjected to WSJ reporting about receiving $7 million to be distributed to politicians prior to those elections. He confirmed in a written statement that he had received the funds, which were disbursed to staff officials of Najib's United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party, according to instructions from party leaders.
Nazir told the Journal that he believed the money was from donations that he helped raise from Malaysian corporations and individuals for the elections, and that he had no knowledge of any other source of funding.
Nazir has been speaking out on social media about his displeasure over 1MDB. In February, he said that the scandal terrified him, pointing to clues that $4 billion had gone astray, the Financial Times (FT) reported.
"I just can't see how our institutions can recover, how our political atmosphere can become less toxic, how our international reputation can be repaired," he wrote on Instagram, according to the FT.
US allegations
In court documents filed on Wednesday in California, the DOJ stated that it sought to seize assets allegedly purchased with laundered 1MDB money, including penthouses, mansions, artwork and a private jet. The suits also claim that money was used to pay off gambling debts; and by Najib's stepson, Riza Aziz, to establish Red Granite Pictures, a company that produced the Hollywood movie "The Wolf of Wall Street."
On Thursday, authorities in two other countries moved to seize more assets tied to 1MDB.
Singaporean authorities announced that that they had seized assets totaling $240 million (U.S. $177 million) – of which $120 million (U.S. $88.5 million) was from Najib's ally Low Taek Jho, who was listed in the U.S. complaint documents, and his immediate family. Separately, Swiss authorities announced that they had seized a drawing by Van Gogh valued at $5.4 million, and two paintings by Monet valued at $92.5 million.
'Can't escape responsibility'
In its editorial, the Wall Street Journal took aim at the prime minister, who had started the state-backed fund with a mission of spurring development in his country.
"Mr. Najib can't escape responsibility if it is proved that national wealth held by 1MDB disappeared on his watch. He launched 1MDB in 2009, served as chairman of the advisory board, and oversaw it as prime minister and, concurrently, finance minister."
The paper also had a message for politicians serving under Najib.
"... UMNO politicians should be having second thoughts. Mr. Obama is a short-timer, and the U.S. lawsuit makes clear that Mr. Najib's position as a moderate Muslim ally won't shield him or Malaysia from legal actions. The 1MDB losses will eventually catch up with him and his allies," the editorial posted Thursday night said.
"The longer UMNO waits to disavow Mr. Najib, the more likely the opposition is to regroup by the time the 1MDB fallout hits. Former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is publicly mulling the formation of a new, cleaner version of UMNO. That could be the chance for reform-minded members of the ruling party to step off Mr. Najib's sinking ship," the editorial went on to say.
At the White House on Thursday, spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama did not influence the DOJ's lawsuits, but that the president had spoken to Najib about the need for good governance during a visit to Malaysia in November.
"... The president reiterated how important it is, particularly for a fast-growing country like Malaysia, to be transparent, to demonstrate a commitment to fair play and good government and a business climate that will allow that country's economy to continue to succeed.  And for business interests who are considering doing business in Malaysia, they're going to be looking for signs that there's a good business climate in Malaysia," Earnest said during a White House press briefing.
"But ultimately it will be the responsibility of the Malaysian government to address the concerns that have been raised, and that's something that the president has been saying, dating back to his visit to Malaysia last year."


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BENARNEWS- Individuals targeted in U.S. lawsuits that seek to recoup more than $1 billion in money allegedly stolen from state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) "must clear their own names," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Monday.
Although he is referred to many times as "Malaysian Official 1" in court papers filed by the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) according to a source close to the investigation, the prime minister seemed to distance himself in a Facebook post from some people close to him who were identified by name as targets in the suits.
"The civil suits brought by the U.S. Justice Department regarding 1MDB must be given space and opportunity for the judicial process to be carried out. Any individual who has been named must clear their own names," Najib wrote.
"The government will fully cooperate in this case and, God willing, sooner or later we will know the truth. As has often been emphasized, the government will ensure that no public money has been misused," he added.
When news about the suits broke last week, it deepened a corruption scandal surrounding 1MDB, a sovereign wealth fund that Najib launched in 2009, and armed his political opponents with fresh ammunition in calling for his resignation as PM. Since July 2015, the Malaysian opposition and Najib's critics have called for him to step down following reports that nearly $700 million in 1MDB-linked cash was deposited into his private bank accounts during the run-up to the 2013 general election.
Najib has acknowledged that he received the money but has denied any wrongdoing. Six months ago, Malaysia's attorney general cleared the prime minister in a corruption probe into the bank deposit, saying it was a political donation from Saudi Arabia's royal family used to fund candidates in the 2013 election.
On Thursday, a day after the news broke, Najib told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that his administration was "serious about good governance."
Over the weekend, the information chief for Najib's political party stressed that neither the prime minister nor 1MDB were named as parties in the civil cases, by which U.S. justice officials are seeking to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in assets paid for with money that was missing from 1MDB and had allegedly been laundered.
"In fact 1MDB does not have any asset or interests in the United States, and we are confident that this process (civil suit) will also dispel all the wild allegations made against those who are not guilty," Malaysia's Star newspaper quoted Tan Sri Annuar Musa, information director of the United National Malays Organization (UMNO), as saying.
However, an official close to the DOJ investigations into 1MDB told the Wall Street Journal – the newspaper that broke the first story about the large deposit into Najib's accounts – that Najib was in fact the person identified more than 30 times in the U.S. lawsuits as "Malaysian Official 1 (MO1)."
The lawsuits cited a statement made in January by Malaysian Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali over the transfer of $681 million accounts belonging to "Malaysian Official 1."
The lawsuits traced funds that flowed between the account of "Malaysian Official 1" and "Eric" Tan Kim Loong, a business associate of Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low who is a close associate of Najib. Both men are named as targets in the suits.
Also named in the lawsuits was Najib's stepson Riza Aziz, the founder of Red Granite Pictures, which produced the Oscar-nominated film "The Wolf of Wall Street."
The suits allege that Riza's company received $238 million from transactions linked to 1MDB, of which some of the money was used to fund Red Granite Pictures and to purchase luxury real estate in the U.S. and Britain.
Among assets that the U.S. government is seeking to recover are a private jet, penthouses and condominiums in New York City, properties in Beverly Hills, Calif., including a mansion.


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BENARNEWS- Two suspects in a recent grenade attack at a nightclub in Puchong pleaded guilty Monday and four others were charged for their roles in the first successful act of terrorism by the so-called Islamic State (IS) on Malaysian soil.
Unemployed imam Wahyudin Karjono, 21, and factory operator Jonius Ondie alias Jahali, 24, faced eight counts in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court, including attempting to murder the eight patrons who were injured, and firearms possession tied to the grenade used in last month's attack.
Both pleaded guilty to all the charges before Judge Azhaniz Teh Azman. They remained calm during the hearing and were reluctant to speak when Azhaniz asked if they had anything to say to the court. Both could face up to 20 years in prison at sentencing, set for Sept. 21.
The June 28 grenade attack at Movida nightclub in Puchong, a town just south of the Malaysian capital, injured eight people during the screening of a Euro 2016 football match.
Within a few hours of the attack Abu Hamza Al-Fateh, a Malaysian IS fighter better known as Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, posted a message on Facebook saying that IS members were responsible for hurling the grenade at the nightclub.
Authorities initially concentrated on rivalries among local gangsters as a motive, but on July 4 Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed that IS members were behind the attack.
Four others charged
Four other suspects who allegedly assisted the attackers were charged in three magistrate Courts in Klang, Kuala Lumpur and Ampang on Monday.
In Klang, Mohmad Zaimi Mohmad Isa and Roshelmyzan Husain, both 31, were charged with two counts each for supporting the pair. Mohmad Zaimi was accused of harboring Jonius Ondie to prevent his arrest on June 29. Roshelmyzan was charged with soliciting support for the pair through the Telegram app on his mobile phone.
In Kuala Lumpur, insurance delivery man Fazar Nor Md Reduan, 32, was charged with two counts of providing support through the Telegram app on his mobile phone. In Ampang, Mohd Asrol Mohamad, 29, faced a similar charge related to the Telegram app.
Saturday arrests
Meanwhile, police announced the arrest of 14 suspected militants on Saturday, including a man they said knew how to build an improvised explosive device (IED). Police did not name the 13 men and one woman but said they were aged between 20 and 49.
"One of them had admitted that he received an order from Wanndy to build an IED for a planned attack in the Klang Valley. He had also shared his knowledge in building IEDs via the Telegram app with other IS members," Khalid said.
Malaysian police have arrested at least 222 suspects with alleged links to IS, 71 of whom have been charged in court, according to police statistics.
Indonesia arrests
Elsewhere, Indonesia's counter-terrorism police unit Densus 88 arrested four people in Central Java for their alleged ties to Nur Rohman, the suicide bomber who attacked the provincial police headquarters earlier this month.
The bombing was the second IS-linked attack in Indonesia after eight people died in Jakarta on Jan. 14. Police said Nur had acted after IS called on supporters to launch terror attacks during the fasting month of Ramadan.
Nur, 31, blew himself up when a security officer tried to stop him from riding his motorcycle up to the headquarters in Solo on July 4. The officer was injured but no-one was killed.
Police did not release the names of the suspects or specific charges against them.
Among those arrested were a husband and wife who own the poultry farm where Nur worked in Tulung sub-district, local police said. During a search of the farm, police found a hut they suspect Nur used as a temporary shelter.
Also on Saturday, police arrested Nur's older brother and a third man suspected of involvement in the case.
"I do not know what the brother's role was in the suicide bombing in Solo," Tulung police chief Parmo Bin Muhtarom told BenarNews on Saturday.
On July 19, Densus 88 arrested a man who allegedly owned the motorbike that Nur was riding at the time of his death.
Eighteen Indonesians have been sent to jail for links to IS, and some 800 Indonesians are believed to have joined the extremist group in Syria and Iraq.
Kusumasari Ayuningtyas in Klaten, Indonesia contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- A court in eastern Malaysia on Tuesday sentenced nine Filipinos to life in prison for playing major roles in a deadly incursion by an armed group from the nearby southern Philippines three years ago, according to local reports.
The Kota Kinabalu High Court also handed jail sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years to five other Filipinos and three Malaysians, whom it convicted on terrorism-related charges for lesser roles in the incursion mounted along the coastline of Sabah state by the group known as the Royal Army of Sulu, reports said.
A special session of the high court, which sat at the state prison in Kepayan, had convicted the 17 defendants a day earlier for their roles in "waging war" against the Malaysian king (Yang di-Pertuan Agong). Royal Sulu Army members, who identified themselves as followers of the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III, launched the incursion into Malaysian territory on Borneo island, which lasted from February to March 2013.
Datu Amirbahar Hushin Kiram, the nephew of the late sultan, was among the nine Filipinos who received life sentences and were spared the death penalty at the end of a trial that began in January 2014.
The court's ruling nonetheless sends a strong message that any encroachment on Malaysia's sovereign territory will be punished severely, according to a Sabah-based security analyst.
"It is our absolute right to protect our sovereignty. The actions and decision taken [by the court] is all about protecting and safeguarding the well-being of the country and its people," Zaini Othman, who directs the Strategic and Security Research Center at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, told BenarNews.
In 2013, Malaysian security forces put down the incursion by some 200 fighters who had traveled by boat from Sulu – a neighboring province in the southern Philippines.
Seventy-two people, including 56 Sulu gunmen, 10 members of the Malaysian security forces and six civilians were killed in fighting spread over several weeks.
The Filipino group demanded to be recognized as representatives of the Sulu Sultanate that used to rule Sabah. In the past the sultanate was spread over several southern Philippine islands and parts of Borneo, including Sabah before it became a British protectorate in the 19th century. Sabah was incorporated into Malaysia in 1963, but the country still pays token rent to the Sulu Sultanate on an annual basis.
Two months ago, Malaysian authorities announced the arrests of another 22 people, including 12 foreigners, suspected of being linked to the crushed incursion. The 22 suspects are being held indefinitely without trial under Malaysia's Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, reports said.
Filipinos spared death penalty
In handing down sentences on Tuesday against the nine Filipinos who had faced the prospect of being put to death for their roles in the incursion, Justice Stephen Chung Hian Guan said there was no evidence that the defendants were directly involved in the skirmishes in Sabah or that any of them had killed members of the Malaysian security forces.
The state-run Bernama news agency quoted the judge as lamenting the fact that the two suspected masterminds of the incursion, Datu Agbimuddin Kiram and "General Musa," were never arrested over the case.
The nine Filipinos were also sentenced separately to between 13 and 18 years on terrorism-related charges, and will serve their two sentences concurrently, local reports said.
On Monday, the court acquitted a Filipino national, Basil Samiul, 35, of charges of supporting and soliciting a terrorist group. Another Filipino defendant, Hadil Suhaili, 68, died of illness on April 23 while in Malaysian custody, reports said.


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BENARNEWS-Malaysian authorities need to prosecute more human trafficking cases if they are serious about tackling the problem, NGO leaders said Tuesday as a U.S. ambassador at-large who specializes on the issue was visiting the country.
Representatives of several local NGOs voiced such concerns during a Monday night meeting in Kuala Lumpur with Susan Coppedge, the U.S. State Department's envoy for the monitoring and combating of human trafficking, according to one of them. They also told Coppedge about their frustration over a lack of official follow-up after last year's discovery of scores of graves in the jungles of northern Perlis state that held the remains of smuggled people.
"We feel that we can have all the laws on trafficking that we want in Malaysia, but if there is not enough implementation on the ground, nothing is going to work," Sumitha Shaanthinni Kishna, coordinator of the Migration Working Group, one of the NGOs, told BenarNews.
"That's what we told her, we are more concerned on what's being implemented on the ground rather than what being put on paper."
According to Kishna, Malaysia needs to work on protecting victims. She expressed the hope that Coppedge would convey those concerns to the Malaysian officials during her two-day visit.
Coppedge arrived in Malaysia amid complaints that the Southeast Asian nation had failed to investigate mass graves of suspected trafficking victims and prosecute the criminals who put them there.

The State Department has faced widespread criticism after it kept Malaysia, a key U.S. trading partner, off its blacklist of countries that fail to meet minimum standards against modern-day slavery, in the recently published 2016 edition of its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.
The report pointed out that graves on both sides of the Thai-Malaysia border, which contained remains of trafficked Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants, were discovered in May 2015.
"The (Malaysian) government questioned several officials after the discovery of mass graves on the Thai border, but did not prosecute any officials during the reporting period for complicity in trafficking crimes," the report said.
The TIP report also noted that the number of investigations of potential trafficking cases decreased by 24 last year compared with 186 cases that were investigated in 2014.
After it the State Department published the report last month, it drew a rebuke from U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who questioned the credibility of Malaysia's ranking.
"I believe that rankings must be based on an objective assessment of the minimum standards in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, a country's efforts to meet them, and the impact that government actions are having on improving the lives of trafficking victims. No other considerations should enter into it," he said.
Lack of political will
A shortage of prosecutions proves there is a lack of political will to solve the problem of human trafficking, according to Glorene A. Das, who directs Tenaganita, a Malaysian NGO that has advocated rights for migrants and refugees for the past 25 years.
The discovery of the graves in the jungle led to the arrests of 12 policemen, who were allegedly linked to human smugglers at the Malaysia-Thailand border, but none of them have been prosecuted so far, she said.
"There were several arrests of foreign nationals, Malaysians as well as the Malaysian authorities but as of now, only one Bangladesh national has been charged and prosecuted. However, no government authorities or officials have been prosecuted," Das told BenarNews.
"Prosecution rates continue to be dismal. It was evident that there was a lack of cooperation and coordination between the different government agencies who, incidentally, all sit as part of anti-trafficking enforcement agencies," she added.
According to Das, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi must take responsibility for and be transparent about prosecuting all officials or Malaysian citizens involved in the mass graves, because this is long overdue.
In June, a Malaysian court sentenced a Bangladeshi man to 10 years after he pleaded guilty to three charges of human smuggling and trafficking in the area, where 106 graves believed to contain the remains of Rohingya Muslims were found in May 2015.
On Tuesday, Coppedge met with Zahid, who also serves as Malaysia's deputy prime minister. In a statement after the meeting, his office said it had undertaken efforts to combat human trafficking.
"The deputy prime minister has expressed the country's readiness to cooperate with the U.S. in the area of capacity building, which touches on the aspect of prosecution, conviction, including identifying individuals who are the potential victims of labor exploitation and forced labor," the statement said.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is poised to broaden his powers under a national security law that will take effect Aug. 1, while critics warn that the embattled leader could use it to crush dissent.
The National Security Council (NSC) Act will give the executive branch power to declare an emergency without having to go through Malaysia's king – as guaranteed by its constitution, legal experts say.
The law also empowers the NSC to authorize stops, searches and arrests of people, as well as searches of and seizure of private property without a warrant – all in the name of protecting national security – they say.
The implementation of the National Security Council (NSC) Act comes at a time of heightened political tensions in Malaysia and amid renewed calls by the opposition for Najib to resign over a financial corruption scandal known as the 1MDB affair.
The law's implementation is unusual because it was done without royal assent from the country's Conference of Rulers, critics point out.
The Malaysian parliament passed the NSC bill without amendments in December, and the Conference of Rulers – a body of sultans, rajas and governors, which normally grants royal assent to a bill 30 days after it is presented to the king – never consented to it, according to civil liberties lawyer Syahredzan Johan.
In February, the rulers issued a statement indicating that some of the law's provisions needed to be refined, he noted.
"I personally do not know why the Conference of Rulers asked for a review of the bill, but this law would allow the government to bypass the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (king) altogether," Syahredzan told BenarNews.
The National Security Council  consists of the prime minister, who chairs the council, the deputy PM, who serves as its vice chair, the ministers of defense, home affairs, communications and multimedia, the chief of the armed forces, the national police chief and the government's chief secretary.
Under the new law, the prime minister is empowered to declare any place a security area for six months at a time, subject to renewal. The NSC may then order the deployment of any security forces or other government personnel to the area in question.
"They also have the authority to stop and search individuals, enter and search any premises, and take possession of any land, building or movable properties," Syahredzan told BenarNews.
Within the declared security area, Syahredzan added, security forces may arrest anyone alleged to have committed any offence under any written laws, without requiring a warrant.
The law also empowers the NSC to appoint a director of operations, who is only answerable to the council and has unrestricted powers, the lawyer claimed.
Najib: 'Deliberately misinterpreted'
In a speech on Tuesday to a conference of national police chiefs representing members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Najib mentioned the new law as he defended his government against criticism from human rights advocates over its use of security laws.
He said these laws were needed to protect the nation from threats posed by trans-national terrorist groups such as Islamic State (IS). According to Malaysia's police chief, IS was behind a grenade attack that injured several people at a nightclub on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur last month.
"[M]y government will never apologize for placing the safety and security of the Malaysian people first," Najib told the ASEANAPOL Conference in Kuala Lumpur.
"These laws were necessary and other countries have since been following our lead," he said, referring to the NSA Act, the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act – or SOSMA, the Special Measures against Terrorism in Foreign Countries Act, and the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Since last year Malaysian authorities have arrested dozens of suspected IS members, and have warned that Malaysians returning from combat stints with IS in Syria or Iraq could launch terrorist attacks on home soil.
"These laws have aided the authorities in monitoring possible terrorists and Daesh (IS) sympathizers."
In a post on his blog, Najib shot back Wednesday at critics of the National Security Act. He accused them of twisting some of its provisions.
"We were criticized for passing these laws, including by some who fear mongered for political reasons," the prime minister wrote. "The National Security Council Act in particular has been deliberately misinterpreted. It is not the same as a declaration of national emergency – that power remains with His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong – and Parliament remains sitting with oversight on any security area declared."
'It can easily be misused'
Legal observers, however, question whether another anti-terror law is necessary and warn that its broad language defining "national security" could be used to arrest people who criticize the government.
"At a time when we have ample terrorism laws already in force to deal with real threats, it is highly questionable that the PM sought to widen his executive powers in such manner," Melissa Sasidaran, coordinator for the Lawyers for Liberty, a local NGO, told BenarNews.
Since Najib became engulfed last year in allegations of  corruption linked with the troubled state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), his government, among other actions, blocked websites of local news organizations that were reporting on the scandal and those of grassroots groups that were organizing massive street demonstrations calling for his resignation.
"Officially they want the NSC to fight against terrorism and foreign incursions. But it can easily be misused to shut down dissent," Azmi Sharom, a Malaysian political analyst and law professor, told BenarNews.
Malaysia's opposition bloc is planning to stage an anti-Najib demonstration on Saturday, in light of a dozen new lawsuits filed by the U.S. Department of Justice last week, and which seek to recover more than $1 billion in assets paid for with money allegedly stolen from 1MDB, according to reports.
"The likelihood of the NSC being utilized in order to crack down against any act of civil movement is likely to steadily increase as maneuvering space for the PM decreases," Sevan Doraisamy, who directs local human rights NGO Suaram, told Reuters.


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BENARNEWS- The Malaysian anti-graft agency that probed a corruption scandal linked to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad is being revamped.
The government announced Friday that a senior official from the office of Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali, who had cleared Najib of any criminal offenses in the 1MDB affair, would take over the helm of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) from Monday.
Dzulkifli Ahmad, who headed the national revenue recovery enforcement team of the Attorney-General's Chambers, would replace Chief Commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed, Chief Secretary to the Government Ali Hamsa said in a statement Friday.
Journalists attending a farewell ceremony at MACC headquarters for Abu Kassim, who had announced his retirement more than a month ago, were shocked to see banners disclosing that his two top deputies were leaving as well.
According to Ali's statement, Deputy Chief Commissioner (Prevention) Mustafar Ali was being transferred to  become chief of the Immigration Department, also starting Monday.
There was no mention in the statement about the status of Deputy Chief Commissioner (Operations) Mohd Shukri Abdull but, in a separate statement, MACC said he would enroll in a course at a local university before retiring in October.
"All three leaders of the MACC have contributed enormously to the commission for more than three decades of their service especially in successfully transforming the commission," it said.
In a tearful farewell speech, Mohd Shukri admitted that he had been accused of "toppling the government" together with Abu Kassim towards the end of his retirement.
Abu Kassim, in his own message, urged MACC staff to provide support to the new chief commissioner although Dzulkifli is an "outsider."
"MACC officers must provide information and be influential to the new commissioner as the MACC is a leading anti-corruption agency," Abu Kassim said.
Pressured to step down?
The commission under Abu Kassim has led a probe into 1MDB and, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal last month, the agency had asked the attorney general to file criminal charges against Najib over money that he received in his bank accounts via entities linked to 1MDB.
The commission has been praised by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for its "tremendous courage" in investigating corruption at 1MDB.
The FBI had been working with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which last week filed civil lawsuits seeking to seize more than U.S. $1 billion in assets allegedly obtained with money siphoned from 1MDB and laundered through American institutions.
Najib had been tied to the scandal since the Wall Street Journal reported in July 2015 that hundreds of millions of dollars originating from 1MDB landed in his private bank accounts.
Some of the money was used to pay for political spending in Malaysia as well as clothing and jewels, the new paper had reported, citing people familiar with probes in two countries, bank-transfer information and other documents.
Last month, the Journal, quoting a person familiar with the matter, said that Abu Kassim's decision to resign was a result of pressure from Najib. But Abu Kassim, according to a report by Malaysia's state-run Bernama news agency, had said he wasn't withdrawing under pressure and that he had requested to end his contract earlier to take up another opportunity.
Najib came under fire from critics last year after he replaced Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail, who also had led investigations into 1MDB fiasco, with Apandi.
Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who heads the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, a think-tank, expressed his concern that an "outsider" had been appointed to lead the anti-graft agency, saying it would "affect the reputation of MACC."
"The government's image to fight corruption has been dented with such an appointment that could now bring doubt to the integrity of the commission," he told BenarNews.
He said Dzulkifli's main challenge was to gain the trust of Malaysians that the agency would perform its duties "without fear and favor."
"We have seen the commission investigating all types of cases without favoritism. Whether it's the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister, everyone must be fully investigated [if there are any allegations against them]."


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BENARNEWS- Embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak gained new powers Monday as a new law went into effect that expands the reach of the National Security Council (NSC), which he chairs.
Under the NSC Act, the prime minister is empowered to declare any place a security area for six months at a time, subject to renewal. The NSC may then order the deployment of any security forces or other government personnel to the area in question.
The law also allows the NSC to authorize stops, searches and arrests of people, as well as searches of and seizure of private property, without a warrant, legal experts say.
"There is good reason to fear that the act will be yet another tool in the hands of the government to crack down on peaceful protests under the guise of national security," Josef Benedict, deputy director for South East Asia and the Pacific for Amnesty International, said in a statement Monday.
"The Najib government is increasingly resorting to repressive new laws that are said to protect national security but in practice imperil human rights."
Malaysia's NSC consists of the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, the ministers of defense, home affairs, communications and multimedia, the chief of the armed forces, the national police chief and the government's chief secretary.
Najib and other top officials have argued that such measures are necessary due to a threat posed by the so-called Islamic State (IS) and other transnational terrorist groups.
"I can assure Malaysians that the government will continue to put all possible measures in place to protect you. Daesh (another name for the Islamic State) and its cruel, perverted ideology have no place in Islam, nor in our peaceful, diverse and tolerant country," Najib said in a statement posted on his website last week.
"Now is the time for us to unite and play an even greater part alongside the world community in the fight against terrorism."
Since last year Malaysian authorities have arrested dozens of suspected IS members, and have warned that Malaysians returning from combat stints with IS in Syria or Iraq could launch terrorist attacks on home soil.
Police believe that IS was behind a grenade attack that injured several people at a nightclub on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur last month.
Highly unusual
Approved in parliament in December 2015, the NSC Act did not receive consent from the Conference of Rulers – a body of sultans, rajas and governors that normally grants royal approval of a bill 30 days after it is presented to the king.
That is highly unusual, according to civil liberties lawyer Syahredzan Johan.
"I personally do not know why the Conference of Rulers asked for a review of the bill, but this law would allow the government to bypass the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (king) altogether" in declaring a security emergency, Syahredzan told BenarNews.
Najib has faced calls for his resignation over the past year in light of an ongoing scandal involving more than $1 billion in funds stolen from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund he oversees, known as1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB.
In the last year, his government has blocked websites of local news organizations that were reporting on the 1MDB affair and those of grassroots groups that were organizing street demonstrations calling for his resignation.
Laurent Meillan, the Bangkok-based acting regional representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), expressed concern that the new law could erode human rights and restrict freedom of expression and assembly.
"We are gravely concerned that the immunity provisions in the act may encourage human rights violations," he said in a statement on Friday.
"We call on the government to revise the act to bring it in line with international human rights norms and standards. Furthermore, we encourage the government to allow for an open and transparent consultation process on the provisions in the act with all relevant stakeholders."


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BENARNEWS- Jailed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new security law that gives the prime minister broader powers, his lawyer said.
Ibrahim is suing the government and the National Security Council chaired by Prime Minister Najib Razak, N. Surendran, an attorney for Anwar, told BenarNews.
Anwar's legal team filed the lawsuit at the Kuala Lumpur High Court a day after the National Security Council (NSC) Act took effect in Malaysia.
The suit seeks to invalidate the law by arguing that it was passed without the required consent of Malaysia's king, the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, according to Surendran.
"Aug. 1 is a dark day in Malaysian history, when NSC was enforced. Anwar is filing this suit to re-establish democracy in the country," Surendran said.
Anwar has sued the government at least three times since he was imprisoned in February 2015 on a sodomy charge, the lawyer noted.
Anwar, 68, the leader of the opposition People's Justice Party (PKR), is serving a five-year term at Sungai Bulok Prison in Selangor state. He has been jailed on multiple occasions.
In 1974, he was imprisoned for 20 months under the country's former Internal Security Act, which allowed for detention of suspects without trial. Later in his political career, Anwar was criticized for failing to push for repealing the act in his capacity as deputy prime minister in 1993.
A more powerful executive
Apart from the prime minister who serves as chairman, the NSC consists of the deputy prime minister, the ministers of defense, home affairs, communications and multimedia, the chief of the armed forces, the national police chief and the government's chief secretary.
The law is controversial because, critics say, Najib could use it to crush dissent and silence those who have called for his resignation over corruption allegations linked to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The law gives the executive branch power to declare an emergency without having to go through Malaysia's king – as guaranteed by its constitution – according to legal experts. It empowers the council to authorize stops, searches and arrests of people, as well as warrantless searches of and seizure of private property, they say.
Under the act, the prime minister is empowered to declare any place a security area for six months at a time, subject to renewal. The NSC may then order the deployment of any security forces or other government personnel to the area in question.
Malaysia's parliament passed the NSC bill without any amendments in December. The enactment of the law was unusual because the Conference of Rulers – a body of sultans, rajas and governors, which normally grants royal assent to a bill a month after it is presented to the king – never consented to it.
In February, the rulers issued a statement indicating that some of the law's provisions "needed to be refined."
'Back door' to rights violations
The United Nations and human rights advocacy groups have voiced concerns that Najib could use the new law to abuse his power and trample on free speech in country.
On Tuesday, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement expressing similar concern.
"Given the Malaysian government's recent track record of harassing and arresting government critics, the likely abuses under this new law are truly frightening," said Phil Robertson, HRW's deputy director for Asia.
"There are serious concerns that this law will be used as a back door to severe rights violations, using government claims that it only seeks to protect its citizens from terror threats."
Najib and other top officials, however, have defended such measures as necessary because of a threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) and other transnational terrorist groups.
"I can assure Malaysians that the government will continue to put all possible measures in place to protect you. Daesh and its cruel, perverted ideology have no place in Islam, nor in our peaceful, diverse and tolerant country," Najib said on his website last week, referring to another name for Islamic State.
Since last year Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 222 suspected IS members, according to police statistics.
Hata Wahari contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- An ex-Malaysian police chief has called for close monitoring of corrupt government officers serving along Malaysia's borders with Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia amid rising concerns over smuggling of guns, drugs and people, saying only officers with "high integrity" should be allowed to serve in these areas.
"Smuggling and corruption along the borders can be tackled if enforcers have more integrity in carrying out their duties," former Malaysian Inspector General of Police (IGP) Musa Hassan told BenarNews in an interview. "So those sent out need to have high integrity.
"How do you make sure that they don't go astray? One of the ways is to work together with the anti-graft agency so these officers at borders need to be monitored," said Musa, who heads the Malaysian Community Care Foundation, an NGO involved in fighting rising crime in the country.
Musa, who was the top police officer from 2006 to 2010, capping a four-decade career, made the remarks amid debate in the country over rising concerns over smuggling across the country's porous borders, including trafficking of drugs, guns, people and commodities such as rice, the country's staple diet.
The authorities also are worried over a rise in kidnappings in the seas of the east Malaysian state of Sabah by militants based in southern Philippines. Sabah shares a maritime border with the Philippines.
Reports have said that that a lack of enforcement at the Malaysia-Thailand border is believed to be among reasons for smuggling of firearms into Malaysia that has led to an upsurge in killings in the country.
Last year, the police's intelligence agency noted in a report compiled over 10 years that a startling 80 percent of law enforcement officers in Malaysia's borders were corrupt, with many of them directly involved in smuggling drugs, weapons and people.
"Most smuggling syndicates or smugglers, in order to carry out their illegal activities, would bribe officials ... only those with the highest discipline and integrity can carry out their duties at borders without fear or favor," Musa said.
A Malaysian expert agreed that law enforcement personnel at border areas had to be clean in their bid to stem smuggling.
"[T]o overcome this problem, the authorities like the Royal Malaysian Police, the customs and immigration departments need to increase the number of personnel with integrity at the border," the Institute of Crime and Criminology at Help University Director Akhbar Satar told Malaysia's state run Bernama news agency.
"I suggest that the government limit the duration of duty for each personnel in charge at the border to not more than three years to avoid them from getting close to the smugglers to the extent of receiving bribes from the smugglers," he said.
Musa urged the authorities, including the police, to work closely with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to check graft and suggested greater inter-agency cooperation in dealing with the problem.
"The manpower and information sharing need to be integrated between the police, the Immigration Department, Customs and officers from other departments that are stationed at our international borders to weed out smuggling activities," he said.
The northern state of Kedah's police chief, Zamri Yahaya, said the federal police had transferred most senior officers stationed at the Bukit Kayu Hitam and Durian Burung border entry points along the Malaysia-Thai border.
He said police were being monitored more closely in their work following the discovery about a year ago of mass graves and skeletal remains believed to be that of ethnic Rohingyas from Myanmar, and 28 human trafficking camps and 139 graves, in Wang Kelian in the northern state of Perlis.
"Police have since formed an internal unit dedicated to carry out spot-checks on the officers stationed at the border and this unit is also tasked with closely monitoring any changes of behavior among officers concerned," Zamri told BenarNews.
"The government had also appointed a border commander to oversee the operation of various law enforcement agencies comprising of police force, Immigration Department, Customs Department and other agencies at Bukit Kayu Hitam and Durian Burung in [northern] Kedah [state], Padang Besar and Wang Kelian in Perlis, as well as entry points in [northern] Kelantan," he said.
An earlier version misspelled the former IGP's name.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia has 244 ships and 5,000 officers in place to police its coastlines, but top officials say they are looking to deploy more personnel and assets at strategic locations to prevent Islamic State (IS) members from entering Malaysian territory.
Malaysia's national police force already has beefed up its efforts to monitor the coastal and cross-border movements of Malaysian supporters of IS, who have traveled to Syria or Iraq to join the extremist group and who may be trying to return home and plot terrorist attacks, Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar told BenarNews.
"The police and armed forces are conducting joint patrols between midnight and 6 a.m. along Malaysian beaches and borders, including surveillance in public areas to prevent any infiltration," Khalid said.
The director general of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said it has bolstered the presence of ships and officers working along Malaysia's different coasts, but is seeking the government's permission to enhance coastal security in other ways.
"We have also requested to the government that we would like to recruit the public, especially those with the experience at sea, including fishermen and students at universities, to be part of a special task force to be our eyes and ears in the sea," Adm. Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar told BenarNews.
As part of these plans, the MMEA is constructing two radar systems at Pulau Perak and Pulau Tengah, along Strait of Malacca, and will be stationing personnel at Batuan Tengah (Middle Rocks) along the Singapore Strait that lies between the Strait of Malacca in the west and the South China Sea in the east, he said.
The plans for increased security along the coasts and borders have taken on greater urgency in light of last week's arrests in Indonesia of six suspected IS-linked militants who, according to police in that country, were planning to launch a cross-border rocket attack on Singapore from the nearby Indonesian island of Batam, Malaysian Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Sunday.
Hamidi then announced that the government had revoked the passports of 68 Malaysian citizens who had gone to the Middle East to join IS, including two families from the states of Selangor and Perak. Without passports, those who want to return to Malaysia will be classified as illegal and will be detained under the Immigration Act, he said.
Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, Malaysian police anti-terror chief, told BenarNews that the revocation was "one of the measures" to stop IS sympathizers from coming back to Malaysia and launching attacks on home soil.
He told BenarNews that 91 Malaysians, including children, are believed to have gone to Syria to fight alongside IS militants.
"From the intelligence reports gathered, 61 are believed to be alive while 21 had been declared dead," he said adding that the status of the remaining Malaysians status could not be confirmed.
Since 2013 Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 222 suspected IS members and have warned that Malaysians returning from combat stints in Syria or Iraq could launch terrorist attacks at home. At least 72 alleged IS members have been charged in court.
In late June, Islamic State claimed its first terrorist attack in Malaysia when two motorcyclists threw a hand grenade outside a nightclub in Puchong, Selangor, injuring eight people.
Patrols began this year
Malaysia started the joint patrols in several public areas in February following a terrorist attack in Jakarta on Jan. 14, which was also claimed by IS, Khaled said.
Since then joint patrols at hot spots have increased to 100 to ensure that Malaysians feel safe, according to Malaysia's police chief.
Meanwhile, Jakarta-based security analyst Sydney Jones suggested that Malaysia should pay closer attention to an internal terrorist threat instead of deploying forces to prevent militants from infiltrating its borders from the sea.
"Malaysia has more immediate threats like the recruitment of members of its own security forces who have professional training," Jones told BenarNews.
"No one from IS is going to launch a mad attack like the Sulu Sultan did in Lahad Datu in 2013," she added, referring to an armed incursion in the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah mounted then by a band of southern Filipino followers of the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu, the now late Jamalul Kiram III.
Hata Wahari in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- A new political party proposed by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and other leaders of a group that broke away from Malaysia's dominant party on Tuesday moved a step closer to reality.
Muhyiddin Yassin, who was sacked as deputy prime minister last year, filed papers that seek to register the United Malaysian Indigenous Party (Bersatu) with the Home Ministry's Registrar of Societies (ROS).
Mahathir, Yassin and other ex-members of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party are touting the new party they hope to form as one that would represent "all Malaysians," bring about institutional reform and clean government, as well as challenge the leadership of a current prime minister shadowed by corruption allegations.
Muhyiddin filed the paperwork at the registrar's office in Putrajaya because Mahathir, 91, was being treated for a chest infection and was being kept under medical observation for the next few days, the National Heart Institute confirmed.
Both Mahathir and Muhyiddin, who have been among Prime Minister Najib Razak's most vocal critics over his alleged links to a financial scandal tied to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), would have top leadership roles in Bersatu.
Mahathir, who served as prime minister for 22 years, would serve as the new party's chairman and Muhyiddin, whom Najib sacked last year because of his former deputy's public criticism of him over 1MDB, would serve as its president.
Mahathir's son, Mukhriz, the former chief minister of Kedah state, would be the vice-president. In June, Muhyiddin and Mukhriz were kicked out of UMNO for speaking out against Najib over the 1MDB affair.
In February, Mahathir quit the party that has headed Malaysia's ruling coalition for decades. He then accused the party's top leadership of shielding Najib from corruption allegations, which the prime minister has denied.
Now, it is up to the Registrar of Societies to weigh the Bersatu's application for registration.
The registrar would act professionally according to its regulations and the home ministry would not interfere with the process, Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
"I am confident the ROS will carry out its duty without prejudice. The application would be forwarded to a committee for a review for approval by the Home Minister," state news agency Bernama quoted Zahid as saying.
'A fair Malaysia'
Muhyiddin, who was replaced by Zahid as deputy PM, said the new party would be open to all Malaysians. The party's membership would be made up of Bumiputera citizens, including indigenous people from the East Malaysia states of Sarawak and Sabah. Non-Bumiputera citizens would be recognized as "associate members."
Bumiputera means "sons of the soil." In Malaysia, the term is used to refer to members of the ethnic majority Malays and other indigenous peoples.
"We want to be inclusive. We will give them new recognition. We want them to play a role in terms of presenting ideas," Muhyiddin told journalists after registering papers for the party's formation.
Associate members would not be allowed to vote or compete for positions in the party, but would be eligible to be appointed to any position of the party.
The party's main agenda consists of implementing institutional reforms and pursuing justice to protect the rights of every Malaysian, he said.
"The whole point is to form a fair Malaysia," Muhyiddin said.
Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, a member of Bersatu's committee, said it was important for Malay and Bumiputera youths to reject a culture of corruption as a way to save Malaysia.
"It is time for the Bumiputera to speak out, using this new platform. It's OK if they want to maintain their identity, but be progressive and join this party," said Syed Saddiq.
'Splinter parties do not last'
However, some political analysts voiced doubts that the new party could survive for long, if it managed to take off.
"I doubt there will be a great support from the people, especially when those who will lead the new party are former UMNO leaders who have been seen as having their own agenda, which is to oust the current leadership," Jeniri Amir, a political analyst based on Borneo island, told BenarNews
"Political parties that have personal agendas do not last long. This is proven based on the development of political parties in Malaysia. Splinter parties do not last," he added.
But he noted that the People's Justice Party (PKR), led by jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, was an exception.
Earlier, Mahathir had said that his new party would form a new opposition bloc that would exist alongside other opposition blocs and parties.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) bloc consists of PKR, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the National Trust Party (PAN).  A faith-based party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), split from that bloc in June 2015 and has since touted itself as acting as a second opposition bloc against the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
Amir also predicted that it would be hard for Bersatu to enter East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), because raced-based parties from peninsular Malaysia would not appeal to the locals, he said.
Political analyst Mohamad Redzuan Othman agreed that PKR's longevity was related to Anwar's popularity.
"I don't see the same fighting spirit from Muhyiddin, who is angry at Najib, and I don't think they will be able to survive," the Universiti Selangor vice chancellor told BenarNews.


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BENARNEWS- Representatives of the new Philippine government and a delegation from the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) meet in Kuala Lumpur this weekend for talks on implementing a stalled peace deal, diplomats said.
The two-day meeting is the first face-to-face meeting between the two sides since Rodrigo Duterte, the new president of the Philippines, took office in June, and they will begin negotiating a new version of a law associated with the deal, according to reports.
The two-year-old agreement has been held up because the Philippine Senate did not take up the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), whose passage is needed to implement the deal, before former President Benigno Aquino III left office.
"This meeting is actually to launch the implementation stage of what we envisioned to be a Bangsamoro enabling law. It is to implement the CAB [Comprehensive Agreement in Bangsamoro]," Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia J. Eduardo Malaya told BenarNews on Friday, referring to a Malaysian-brokered deal struck between the government in Manila and MILF in March 2014.
Malaysian officials declined to comment on the meeting, but Norway's ambassador to Manila confirmed that a meeting in Kuala Lumpur was set for Aug. 13.
"Both parties come together in discussing the implementation phase. This shows their commitment to peace and development in Mindanao. The meeting presents an opportunity to build momentum for the peace efforts," Norwegian Ambassador Erik Førner said in a statement.
Norway is part of the International Monitoring Team for the ceasefire.
'That is the solution for Mindanao'
Under the comprehensive agreement that aims to end four decades of fighting between the two sides, MILF agreed to lay down its weapons in exchange for the establishment of a southern autonomous region. MILF rebels have fought since the 1970s for autonomy for the predominantly Muslim Bangsamoro people of the southern Philippines.
The BBL also faltered because of resentment among Filipinos over a raid by Philippine police commandoes on Mindanao island in January 2015 that went terribly wrong, reports said.
Forty-four commandos died when they got caught in a firefight with MILF rebels after Philippine security forces had hunted down and killed a wanted Malaysian militant, Zulkifli bin Hir (better known as Marwan), in the raid at Mamasapano. At least 17 MILF rebels were killed.
The Philippines then accused MILF of violating a ceasefire that had followed the signing of the peace deal a year earlier.
Despite those tensions, both the ceasefire and the agreement have held.
The meeting on Saturday and Sunday will concentrate on crafting a new law for the agreement, Rappler quoted Jesus Dureza, the Philippine government's chief peace adviser, as saying. Dureza is the leader of a six-member Philippine delegation in Kuala Lumpur
In his first State of the Nation speech on July 25, Duterte voiced his administration's commitment to pursuing a new peace track with MILF and other armed groups, including the Communist Party of the Philippines. Yet while touching on the peace agreement with MILF, he called on Congress to pass a new law "minus the constitutional issues that are contentious."
"That is the solution for Mindanao, nothing else," Duterte told Philippine legislators.
"Believe me, nothing else will do. Please sleep on it, ponder on it, because that is the only way to proceed," Duterte said, according to a transcript of his speech.


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BENARNEWS- The Philippines government and representatives of the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have agreed on a plan to implement a stalled peace agreement following a two-day meeting in Malaysia – the first such meeting since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took office in June.
On Saturday, the groups agreed to a two-phased implementation stage for peace in the region – the writing of a basic law followed by the decommissioning of MILF's fighters, Malaysian facilitator Tengku Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
"For the first phase, we let the two parties involved decide how they want to shape the future of the Philippines. On the second phase, Malaysia might be involved upon request from the parties," the Malaysian facilitator said.
Wrapping up the session on Sunday, government and MILF officials announced in a joint statement that they had agreed to meet regularly in the Philippines to pursue forging "a just and enduring peace" in conflict-affected areas on the southern island of Mindanao. They set their next meeting for Aug. 30 in Davao City, the Philippines, GMA News Online reported.
"The parties agreed on the substantive aspects of the peace and development road map," the joint statement said. "In keeping with their firm resolve to build on the gains of the peace process so far, the parties committed to work collaboratively and cooperatively to ensure efficient and inclusive implementation of the GPH [Government of the Philippines]-MILF signed agreements."
An agreement reached in March 2014 under the previous president, Benigno Aquino III, was held up because the Philippine Senate failed to approve the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), whose passage was needed to implement the deal.
The Senate balked on passing the BBL after 44 Filipino commandoes and at least 17 MILF fighters were killed in a gun battle during a police raid in MILF-claimed territory in January 2015. Afterward, Aquino's government was criticized for the operation and MILF was accused of violating the terms of a ceasefire that followed the signing of the original peace deal.
Under that agreement, MILF leaders promised to lay down their weapons in exchange for the establishment of a southern autonomous region. MILF rebels have fought since the 1970s for autonomy for the predominantly Muslim Bangsamoro people of the southern Philippines.
Malaysia served as a facilitator in those peace efforts as well.
Transition commission expands
In another move to push for peace, the groups agreed to increase the membership of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, with 11 members to be nominated by MILF and 10 by the government. The commission, which is tasked with drafting a new BBL, will see its membership increase from 15 – eight from MILF and seven from the government.
The groups also decided to include Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder Nur Misuari in the peace process.
Misuari is a former governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao and has been a fugitive since an attack on Zamboanga City in 2013. In May, he helped Malaysian and Indonesian officials seek the release of Malaysian and Indonesian sailors by the Abu Sayyaf Group.
On Saturday MILF Chairman Murad Ebrahim said the panel welcomed the inclusion of Misuari's MNLF, and invited other southern Philippine militant groups to bring peace to the region.
"We need all the players on board. We welcome all, not only brother Misuari, but other factions as well. We want them to be involved.
"They were all part of the peace process before. Abu Sayyaf was part of it. They were members of MNLF. Also part of us was the seemingly radical group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. Both had left MNLF and MILF," Murad told a press conference before the meeting opened on Saturday.
Murad said the establishment of Bangsamoro government was crucial in preventing the Islamic State (IS) from gaining a foothold in Mindanao and in stopping militancy in the southern Philippines.
Philippines Presidential Adviser Jesus Dureza, who led the government delegation, echoed Murad's views.
"That is why we are coming together for Bangsamoro," Dureza said.
Analyst: Peace deal will deny IS
The implementation of a peace deal would mean that Muslims in the southern Philippines would no longer see a reason to support extremists, according to security analyst Rohan Gunaratna.
"The implementation of Bangsamoro peace deal will deny the growth of IS-centric groups in Southern Philippines," Gunaratna, who heads the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told BenarNews.
In his opinion, it is essential for all parties in the Philippines, especially Malaysia, to support the peace process because IS in the Philippines would pose a serious threat to the security and stability of Southeast Asia.
"The resolution of the dispute between the north and the south will result not only in peace and security, but economic prosperity and development of Mindanao," added Gunaratna, a columnist for BenarNews.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia's proposal to establish an Interpol-led secretariat for de-radicalizing militants in South and Southeast Asia is drawing support from terrorism experts.
Last week, during a counter-terrorism conference in Bali involving at least 23 countries, Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamid proposed setting up a secretariat spearheaded by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and whose mission would be to de-radicalize militants at an international level.
At the time, Zahid said that Jürgen Stock, the executive director of the France-based inter-governmental organization, was keen to coordinate the proposal with the U.N. Security Council.
While Interpol officials did not respond to requests from BenarNews for comment on efforts to establish a secretariat, Southeast Asian security experts said such a program would be timely and necessary.
A top Malaysian counterterrorism official familiar with the matter said that Interpol, the world's largest police organization with 190 member countries, was the right one to work with because of its high-tech capabilities.
"It is probably easier to get more funding to run the program under the secretariat, and Interpol has a better facility to train the officers appointed by the participating countries," the official who requested anonymity, told BenarNews.
Countering a regional threat
The governments of Malaysia and other countries in Southeast Asia have voiced fears that the influence of extremist group Islamic State is growing in the region and poses a national security threat.
In late June, Malaysia suffered its first IS-claimed terrorist attack, when a grenade was thrown outside a nightclub near Kuala Lumpur, injuring several people who were watching a football match on television.
A few days later, 20 hostages were hacked death at a café in Dhaka, Bangladesh, during a terrorist attack claimed by IS, although local officials have blamed home-grown militants for being behind it. And in January, IS claimed its first attack on Southeast Asian soil, when a suicide squad attacked downtown Jakarta with bombs and guns, four people. The four alleged attackers were also killed in that attack.
Ahmad El-Muhammady, an analyst assisting Malaysian authorities in de-radicalization programs, said the proposal would give participating countries the opportunity to share best practices in de-radicalizing militants.
The analyst at International Islamic University Malaysia hoped the proposal would be carried out discreetly to ensure effectiveness because such programs, he said, tend to be "less effective if overly exposed."
The art of de-radicalization requires wisdom and a soft approach to connect to a militant's heart and mind, he told BenarNews.
"It's not an ordinary program. Our success is due to its low profile and judicious approach," he said.
Another Malaysian security analyst, Zaini Othman said when establishing such a program the different parties must recognize the relationships among radicalism, capitalism and globalization that are at the root causes of radicalism.
"Technically it is a good proposal. If materialized, it would enhance the efforts to curb and monitor any development of radicalization both domestic and international," Zaini, who heads the Strategic Security Research  Center at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, told BenarNews.
Rohan Gunaratna, director of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, agreed.
The proposal is timely because it can help curtail the threat of extremism in South Asia and Southeast Asia, he told BenarNews.
The proposal to include Interpol is essential because it could be a platform for coordination and collaboration among law enforcement authorities worldwide, said Gunaratna, a columnist for BenarNews.
"Law enforcement authorities should build capabilities beyond enforcement to mitigate the rising threat of terrorism and extremism. Without investing in counter radicalization and de-radicalization, the threat will escalate to a point where governments will be overwhelmed," he said.


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BENARNEWS- A Malaysian court has sent controversial hip hop artist and filmmaker Namewee to jail for four days while police investigate claims that his latest music video insults Islam.
Johor native Namewee, 33, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, was detained Monday after landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 3:30 a.m. from Taipei and taken to Penang island, where the music video was filmed.
At midmorning, a court in George Town remanded him to custody for four days so that police could question him under Section 295 of the Malaysian Penal Code, which bars defiling houses of worship and insulting religion. Section 295 permits punishment of two years in prison, a fine, or both.
George Town police chief Mior Faridalathrash Wahid confirmed that the arrest and remand would enable police to investigate a controversial music video that Namewee released in July.
The four-minute video "Oh My God!" was written, produced and directed by Namewee, and features the Malaysian singer alongside the three-member Taiwanese band Nine-One-One.
The mash-up of religious traditions appears to poke fun at invoking the powers that be to overcome problems from a receding hairline to a straying girlfriend. The singers invoke Allah, Jesus and the Virgin Mary, and the Buddhist chant "Namo Amitabha," among other terms.
Scenes from what looks like Chinese comedy movies are interspersed with footage of the four men singing and dancing in front of places of worship.
The original version released in July featured Buddhist and Taoist temples, a mosque and a church, but that version is no longer available online, according to reports. A second version uploaded on Aug. 20 omits the mosque footage.
Following the release of the original video, multiple parties filed police reports accusing the filmmaker of insulting Islam, including the chairman of the Tanjung Bungah Floating Mosque, one of Penang's top attractions, according to reports.
In a post to his Facebook page on Monday, Namewee said that the video was meant to promote inter-religious harmony.
He said he did not believe he had done anything wrong and made the decision to return to Malaysia from overseas to face any charges against him.
"If I didn't do anything wrong, why do I need to run and hide? Malaysia is my home, my country," he said in a Mandarin-language statement.
In an earlier Facebook post, Namewee said he had shown his respect for Islam by becoming the first ethnic Chinese singer in history to sing nasyid – poetry with Islamic themes.
His 2015 song "Uncle Lim" is a duet with nasyid singer Yasin Suleimen.
"This is a nasyid song sung in Mandarin in the hip-hop style. Stop your slander and accusations that I insulted Islam," he wrote on Facebook.
Namewee made waves in 2007 during his student days in Taiwan, when he posted a rap arrangement of the Malaysian national anthem "Negaraku" – and was accused of having insulted the country, the police, ethnic Malays and the Muslim call to prayer.
He was investigated by police for sedition when he returned home in 2008 and later apologized for the video, Channel News Asia reported.


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BENARNEWS- A decision allowing Malaysia's military chief to run the newly set up National Security Council underscores the government's seriousness in combating the terrorism threat, officials say, but some experts believe the move violates the constitution and could result in human rights and other abuses.
In a surprise announcement last week, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Malaysian Armed Forces chief Zulkifeli Mohd Zin had taken over as National Security Council director-general as part of tough new security legislation that came into force about two weeks earlier.
Prime Minister Najib Razak, facing resignation calls after being linked to a multi-million dollar corruption scandal, had pushed the National Security Council Act through parliament in December. After legislative approval, the bill did not get the customary royal assent from Malaysia's king, who had asked for some changes.
The legislation, among other objectives, enables the government to declare virtual martial law in areas deemed to be under "security threat."
Appointing General Zulkifeli to run a civilian government department may be unconstitutional, Malaysia's civil liberty lawyer Andrew Khoo said, arguing that military officers came under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces Council and could not take over duties of civil servants who are administered by the Public Services Commission.
"I think the appointment may be unconstitutional because he is the member of armed forces and now he is being asked to head something that is part of the public services commission, so he is moving from the jurisdiction of one commission to another," Khoo told BenarNews.
He said if the chief of armed forces took the post, he should take leave of absence from his current position.
"He cannot be a director general of the national security council and chief of defense forces at the same time, I don't think that is possible."
Mohamad Imran Abdul Hamid, a former admiral in the Royal Malaysian Navy and now an opposition lawmaker, said Najib, as chairman of the National Security Council, had usurped the duties of the king, who is the supreme commander of the Armed Forces under the country's constitution.
"The prime minister has powers beyond of the king as he can instruct the armed forces chief, who is the director general [of the National Security Council] to mobilize forces and to enforce orders in a security area," he told BenarNews.
New law allows PM to bypass king
Before the new law came into effect, any declaration of a state of emergency had to receive the consent of the king, according to Mohamad Imran.
He said Najib could now direct the military chief to take any actions without referring to the Malaysian Armed Forces Council.
Under the new powers, the National Security Council essentially can suspend civil liberties in designated "security areas," giving the military sweeping powers of search, seizure and arrest.
If they are operating in areas deemed "unsafe," they have a "license to kill," Mohamad Imran said.
"It means that if a soldier shoots dead a civilian who violates a curfew or other restrictions, the soldier cannot be charged or face any action under the law as the soldier is protected under the National Security Council," he said.
Najib and other top officials have defended the law as necessary to combat terrorism.
Malaysia and other countries in Southeast Asia have voiced fears that the influence of extremist group Islamic State is growing in the region and poses a national security threat.
Since 2013, Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 230 suspected IS members and have warned that Malaysians returning from combat stints in Syria or Iraq could launch terrorist attacks at home. At least 72 alleged IS members have been charged in court.
In late June, Malaysia suffered its first IS-claimed terrorist attack when a grenade was thrown outside a nightclub near Kuala Lumpur, injuring several people who were watching a football match on television.
Government defends appointment
Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein defended the appointment of Zulkifeli, saying it reflected Malaysia's seriousness in combating the IS threat.
"We hope Zulkifeli's appointment can help us to fight this new threat," Bernama news agency quoted him as saying. "Don't take this matter lightly ... nevertheless, I feel relieved that we have established a sense of urgency in every action we take."
Ahmad Marthada Mohamed,  dean of law, government and international studies at the Universiti Utara Malaysia, agreed with Hishammuddin.
Zulkifeli's appointment is an "ideal choice due to the threat from IS, which is spreading its presence in Southeast Asia with its own cells" and own interpretation of Islam, he said.
"In dealing with such an external threat, he will be able to coordinate all intelligence to protect the country from terror threats from IS and [the Southern Philippines-based] Abu Sayyaf group," Ahmad Marthada said.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) analyst Azmi Hassan said Zulkifeli's "background on security" would enable him to play a key role in the National Security Council.
Najib's critics fear he will use the new powers to further stifle opposition and hold on to power.
The U.N. human rights office had said it was gravely concerned that the law may encourage human rights violations and lead to unjust restrictions on free speech and assembly.
Najib has faced calls to resign for more than a year over a corruption scandal involving state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which he founded in 2009. It is being investigated in several countries including the U.S., Switzerland and Singapore.
Najib has denied wrongdoing or taking money for personal gain over the 1MDB affair.
Last month the U.S. Justice Department initiated moves to seize more than U.S. $1 billion in assets which it believed were bought with funds stolen from 1MDB, including by a person identified only as "Malaysian Official 1." U.S. sources have identified to several media groups that the official was Najib.
The US move has fueled expectations of more anti-Najib protests which the authorities could suppress by using the new security law, rights groups say.
Hata Wahari contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia's Independence Day celebrations were overshadowed Wednesday by news that police had disrupted an alleged Islamic State plot to launch terrorist attacks on the eve of the national day.
Malaysian authorities Wednesday announced that police had arrested three suspected IS supporters in three states who were allegedly plotting a series of strikes for Tuesday that targeted a number of sites, including ones that draw crowds.
The suspects had been directed by Muhammad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi, a Malaysian citizen also known as Abu Hamzah al-Fateh, who is fighting for IS in Syria and is believed to have ordered a grenade attack on a nightclub in Puchong, Malaysia, that injured eight people in late June, officials said.
The trio of suspects was arrested as part of a three-day operation mounted from Aug. 27 through Aug. 29, the nation's police chief said in a statement released on the day that Malaysians thronged to Dataran Merdaka (Independence Square) in Kuala Lumpur to watch a parade marking the 59th anniversary of Malaysia's freedom from British colonial rule.
The suspects were picked up by officers from the counter-terrorist branch in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Pahang, Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar said.
"They were planning to launch attacks at an entertainment center in Kuala Lumpur, a Hindu temple in Batu Caves, Selangor, and on a police station or any policeman by using hand grenades or firearms on the eve of Merdeka (Independence Day) 2016," Khalid said.
Apart from drawing members of Malaysia's Hindu minority, the temple is popular with tourists.
Khalid said the suspects, aged between 20 and 27, were members of the same IS cell, and had received orders from Wanndy.
"All the suspects were planning to head to Syria to join the IS militant group once they had successfully launched the attack, with the assistance from Wanndy," Khalid said.
The first suspect, a truck driver, was captured in Selangor state on Saturday. Police seized a grenade, pistol and 24 rounds of ammunition. The second and third suspects, aged 27 and 20, were arrested in Pahang state and Kuala Lumpur on Monday, Khalid added.
Police did not release the names of the suspects, but said the other two were employed as a butcher and a drink seller, according to reports.
On June 28, IS claimed its first successful terrorist attack on Malaysian soil when eight patrons at the Movida nightclub in Puchong were hurt when a grenade exploded as patrons were watching a football match on television.
At least six people have been arrested in connection with the attack. Two of those suspects have pled guilty to charges, including attempted murder, and four others have been charged with abetting the alleged attackers.
Since 2013, Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 230 suspected IS members and have warned that Malaysians returning from combat stints in Syria or Iraq could launch terrorist attacks at home. At least 72 alleged IS members have been charged in court.
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Malaysian officers in Selangor state arrest a suspected Islamic State supporter, whose face was blurred by police and who allegedly was part of a conspiracy to launch terrorist attacks tied to the nation's Independence Day, Aug. 27, 2016. [Courtesy of Royal Malaysia Police]
Najib addresses nation
Meanwhile, thousands of Malaysians took to the streets of the capital on Wednesday to celebrate Independence Day, which was presided over by Prime Minister Najib Razak, Malaysia's king and other dignitaries.
Najib, who has faced widespread criticism during the past year and calls for his resignation over a corruption scandal linked to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), told his countrymen that Malaysia's achievements were globally recognized and that critics were wrong to call the country a failed state under his leadership.
The prime minister also figured prominently as "Malaysian Official 1" in lawsuits filed by the U.S. Department of Justice last month that seek to recover assets allegedly paid for with money stolen from 1MDB, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In his speech, Najib lambasted his critics, calling them "internal enemies that wanted to poison people's minds" and adding that they were propagating "a new form of colonialism".
Yet as Malaysia marks its 59th anniversary of independence from Britain, the government needs to be more transparent if it hopes to be recognized as a mature nation, political analyst Shaharuddin Badaruddin said.
"n the aspect of good governance, we are still lacking the transparent element in a lot of issues – on abuse of power and money," he told BenarNews.
Malaysia is going through a test of maturity and it remains to be seen if political differences will supersede the nation's interest, said Sivamurugan Pandian, an associate professor of social sciences at Universiti Sains Malaysia.
"In the end, we have to decide what we want for the nation. Are we focusing solely on political issues or do we want to move beyond that, because there is an economic disparity between the lower class, middle class and upper class," he told BenarNews.


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BENARNEWS- Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad, who held a landmark meeting this week with jailed de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim – his bitter foe – said it was "possible" that they could work together in a bid to oust scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak.
In an interview with BenarNews following their first meeting in nearly two decades on Monday, the ex-leader also indicated that the encounter signaled an end to their long-running feud, sparked by Mahathir's sacking in 1998 of Anwar as his deputy when he was prime minister.
Anwar was subsequently convicted for sodomy and corruption, and jailed for five years on charges that he said were part of a conspiracy plan by his former boss. Anwar was jailed again on new sodomy charges in 2015 by Najib's government.
Mahathir met Anwar in a court in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on Monday to back Anwar's legal challenge against Najib's implementation of a tough new national security law, which rights groups say could enable Najib's administration to trample over human rights and act with impunity.
"Possible...possible," Mahathir told BenarNews when asked whether he expected to work with Anwar again for the interest of the country, after photos of the two bitter foes smiling and shaking hands were splashed on social media.
"I'm working together even with people who were condemning me for corruption, for nepotism, for cronyism, etc. But those happened in the past," Mahathir said at his office at the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya on Tuesday.
"If they are willing to be with me, work with me, I will work with them, because the main objective now is to get rid of this current government," he added.
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Jailed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim (left) and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad greet one another in a court room in Kuala Lumpur, Sept. 5, 2016. [Courtesy of People's Justice Party]
'I cannot continue holding a grudge'
Mahathir and a group that broke away from Najib's United Malays National Organization (UMNO) have sought registration to form a new political party – the United Malaysian Indigenous Party (Bersatu).
Anwar, on the other hand, has backed Mahathir against Najib over corruption allegations linked to the debt-ridden state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The 91-year-old Mahathir said he could not continue holding a grudge against Anwar despite his actions against Anwar when he was the prime minister.
"He was in jail during my time but subsequently he was released. The jailing again is not by me. I did not do that. I cannot continue holding a grudge," Mahathir said.
"Well, I can't forever be against a person after he has served whatever wrong. I can't just hold it against him. It is not personal," he said.
Mahathir said he had gone to the court to give moral support to Anwar over his legal challenge.
"[Anwar] is challenging the legality of the [National] Security Council Act and I've written in my blog against the Security Council Act," Mahathir said.
"So, I met him and had quite a long discussion with him and his lawyer and we had discussion on the illegality and the wrong things about the Security Council Act."
Political calculation
Najib, facing resignation calls after being linked to a multi-million dollar corruption scandal, had pushed the National Security Act through parliament in December. After legislative approval, the bill did not get the customary assent from Malaysia's king, who had asked for some changes. The law went into force in August.
The Mahathir-Anwar encounter was the "first meeting after 18 years, 3 days...since 2 September 1998," Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail – president of the People's Justice Party (PKR) – said on Twitter.
Anwar, upon leaving the court, told reporters that Mahathir's presence to show support for the court application indicated that the leader supports reforms.
"He showed his preparedness to come and pledged his support for the court application, and wished me well and success. And I presume, therefore, that he supports the reform agenda," Anwar was quoted as saying in videos on social media.
The next general election must be held by mid-2018.
Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan said the Mahathir-Anwar meeting should arouse concern in Najib's Barisan Nasional coalition government.
"In politics, friendships are not eternal and enemies are not enemies forever," he told BenarNews.
Political analyst Jeniri Amir from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak said that Mahathir would have "thought deeply about this political calculation, and knows the implication of his actions."
Melati A. Jalil contributed to this report


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BENARNEWS- The global terrorism problem will worsen unless Western countries review Middle East policies that have fueled crises in the region, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told BenarNews in an interview this week.
He cited the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict and sectarian warfare in Syria, Yemen and Libya as examples of outcomes of Western policies that, in his view, have driven a small fraction of people to terrorism.
"IS is responding to desperate people," Mahathir said, when asked if the so-called Islamic State group would become a more significant problem for Southeast Asia in the future.
Until Western countries "try to get to the bottom of this problem, to recognize the mistakes that they have made ... there will be an escalation, I think, of terrorism all over the world, including in Malaysia."
Malaysia can do its best to defend itself against terrorism, "but until the causes are handled by all countries in the world, I think it will only get uglier," he said during an interview at his office in Putrajaya.
"We will not know where the attack will be launched. The person will not be wearing a uniform. There will be no armies. One person can just take a car and kill 80 people. Where? Nobody can tell."
'They will not blame themselves'
The existence of IS grows out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that dates back 60 years to the establishment of Israel, claimed Mahathir, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, who held the office from 1981 to 2003.
In recent years, the 91-year-old Mahathir, who is known as Dr. M, has been a fierce critic of the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak.
In commenting about terrorism, he said that present-day Western policies, including ongoing support for Israel no matter its conduct, the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the training of rebel groups in Syria, Yemen and Libya continued to exacerbate the problem.
Western countries have tried but failed to confine the violence to Arab countries, he added.
"Of course some of these people are frustrated, very angry. They don't care whether they die or live. So now they want to go to the countries of those who were the cause of their problem, basically," Mahathir said.
"But the world will not see it because the press is totally controlled by the Western countries. They will not blame themselves. They blame Islam, Muslims and, you know, lack of intelligence...but not the real cause. The real cause is that they have mishandled the Middle East over the last 60 over years."
'It's not religion'
For many months, Malaysia's government has warned that Islamic State in particular poses a threat to national security. According to officials, young Malaysian Muslims are at risk of being recruited via social media to join IS's cause in the Middle East, and that domestic IS supporters or IS members returning from combat tours in Syria or Iraq could plot terror attacks back home.
Last week, Malaysian authorities said they had disrupted a plot by IS supporters to launch terrorist attacks on the eve of Independence Day, which fell on Aug. 31. In late June, IS claimed its first attack on Malaysian soil when eight people were injured in a grenade attack at a nightclub in Puchong, outside Kuala Lumpur.
Since 2013, Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 230 suspected IS members, out of whom at least 72 have been charged in court.
According to Mahathir, most IS members are Muslims from countries destroyed by violence.
"It's not religion. It's not Islam. If you follow Islam you know [IS] is forbidden in Islam. But they are Muslims and it is their country which has been destroyed even and many of their people have been killed."
Muslim leaders and teachers inadvertently contribute to radicalization when they vent their anger over the problems of the Muslim world in sermons and lectures, he added.
"[T]hey too are affected by what is happening in the Middle East. They are angry, they are frustrated, and they talk about this thing to the people who are ignorant, and these people feel that they should do something about it...they should help fight," he said.
He said he did not think the Malaysian government was doing enough to tackle the IS problem – and expressed doubts about the impact of a counter-messaging center Malaysia is about to launch with help from the United States to counter radical recruitment efforts.
It would be better to redirect the efforts of clerics, he suggested.
"You need to actually instruct people who are talking about the religion, who are propagating, teaching the ways of Islam, to tell the people what Islam really wants them to do. ... For example, very simple, that Islam teaches us that all Muslims are brothers ... They should be gathered and told that they must propagate the right teaching of Islam."
Nani Yusof and Hata Wahari contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- A new opposition party led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and other politicians who broke away from Malaysia's ruling party Thursday received the government's provisional approval for its registration.

But in announcing that they had cleared the party's application in principal, government officials said the United Malaysian Indigenous Party (PPBM) could not use "Bersatu" (United) in its acronym.

"Bersatu" is also associated with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which heads the ruling coalition and is led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, whom leaders of the new party have vowed to unseat through elections because of allegations of corruption against him. The new party will be allowed to retain the word in its name, officials said.

"The party had initially requested to use 'Bersatu' as the party's acronym, but agreed to the change after negotiations with us. The reasons why they can't use 'Bersatu' as the party's acronym is to avoid confusion due to six other parties using a similar acronym," Mohammad Razin Abdullah, director general of the Registrar of Societies (ROS), told BenarNews.

"In principle, we have already approved PPBM as a legitimate party. The only thing left now is that PPBM needs to send us a letter to state the functions and roles of their president and chairman, before we can complete the party's registration," he added.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told a news conference in Putrajaya that ROS – which his ministry oversees – had provisionally approved the new party's application for registration. No other changes were made to its original application, but the new party was required to use "PPBM" as an acronym, he said.

"Pursuant to my announcement, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia [the United Malaysian Indigenous Party] has been approved today with no amendments, and they have registered the acronym as PPBM," Zahid told reporters, according to local media. 

Reacting to the announcement, PPBM founding member Syed Saddiq said it could now lay the groundwork for building up its membership and wooing voters. Still, he criticized ROS for not allowing the party to keep "Bersatu" in its acronym.

"It still shows a very strong sense of fear from the establishment ...," Syed told BenarNews.

'Sons of the soil'

Mahathir, 91, will serve as chairman of the new party and former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will be its president.

Both men were among some longtime leaders and members of UMNO, who quit the party in protest of a financial scandal that has shadowed Najib since July 2105, and is linked to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Najib sacked Muhyiddin back then for criticizing him in public over the allegations of wrong-doing at 1MDB, which the prime minister has denied.

Mahathir, Muhyiddin and other ex-senior members of UMNO say their new party will strive to clean up government and bring institutional reforms.

Although the party says that it will represent "all Malaysians" in multi-ethnic and multi-religious Malaysia, Mahathir this week acknowledged in an interview with BenarNews that the party would be based on race and looking to draw members from the country's ethnic Malay majority.

According to party officials, the membership will comprise Bumiputera ("sons of the soil") citizens, who include Malays and indigenous peoples from the East Malaysia states of Sabah and Sarawak, and that non-Bumiputera citizens will be recognized as associate members.

"[T]he people in the rural areas in particular, who make up the majority of the Malays, they are concerned about their race, and if you don't cater to them, you are not going anywhere. You may have high ethics and all that but you [will] lose election," Mahathir told BenarNews.

"What good is it becoming a party that loses election and is not going to be able to implement all its grand ideas? So we form a party that is race based," the former PM added.

Haireez Azeem Azizi contributed to this report.

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BENARNEWS- In an interview with BenarNews this week, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad answered questions ranging from his health to politics.

He expressed regret about some of the people he picked as his deputies during his two decades in office, and talked about allegations of corruption linked to the current prime minister that stem from the 1MDB financial scandal, among other things.

Now 91, Mahathir earlier this year quit the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the party that heads the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, in protest over the allegations against Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Mahathir and other senior ex-UMNO officials have just launched a new opposition party, the United Malaysian Indigenous Party (PPBM), whose application to register as a party was provisionally approved by the government on Thursday.

Here are excerpts from the one-hour interview at Mahathir's office in Putrajaya.

BN: What actions do you regret most during your rule?

Mahathir: ... Well, there are many actions. But mostly about appointing the wrong people. I don't seem to be able to identify good people – or at least they appear good, but after they were given power, they abused it. 

BN: Are you going to name them?

Mahathir: Yeah, well, it started off with Musa Hitam and then with Anwar Ibrahim, and then with Abdullah Badawi, and now Najib.
BN: How do you respond to criticism about registering a new political party which, people say, is race-based?


Mahathir: Well, initially we tried to avoid forming another party because it [could] split the electorate and make them very weak. We thought that we could revive an UMNO-race based party. It [the United Malaysian Indigenous Party] has a big role to play, and it has been shown over the years that a race-based party is accepted by all races and is able to [form] good governments, strong governments.

But we realized, however, that [UMNO] has bad leaders, bad leadership. At first we thought that if we can get rid of the leader, then we can resuscitate UMNO. Unfortunately today we find that UMNO is beyond resuscitation, beyond turning around.

It has become very bad. It has become very, obviously, very corrupt. The leaders are corrupt. They don't express the views of the people. So we have no choice but to form another party. Now there have been a number of multiracial parties but the fact shows that they are not well received. 

They couldn't defeat UMNO, for example. They couldn't win enough seats to form a government.

So although the elites, the intelligentsia, feels that racism is wrong, on the ground the people still [think] in terms of race and the Malays in particular worry about their future. They are weak financially, economically, and they see that they could only be saved through politics....

BN: Are you confident that [your new party] can topple Najib Razak's administration ... ?

Mahathir: Nothing is certain of course ... because we know that Barisan Nasional, headed by Najib, has tons of money and is not afraid of displaying its use of money.

In the by-election they gave money to people, they gave kitchenware to people openly. So we have to fight against corruption, and fighting against corruption is not easy.

But if you don't do anything at all, this country will become worse over time and corruption will be widespread and will become a way of life in Malaysia ....

BN: Is the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) doing a good job now with the latest developments in [Malaysia]?

Mahathir: Well, yeah. In a way they are doing something ... but you know the biggest corruption cases are not being attended to.

Maybe MACC knows it. Actually, MACC has submitted their reports. Their report has been dismissed by the AG [Attorney General] and is now made [an] official secret. So the MACC is quite powerless to do anything because it cannot on its own prosecute – take the matter to court. 

BN: On 1MDB ... What more can be done to get to the bottom of the issues?

Mahathir: Nothing can be done for all the wrong things that are happening with 1MDB. This is simply because the rule of law is not functioning anymore in Malaysia.

If you make a report about wrong things being done on 1MDB, you will be questioned by the police, you will be detained and you will be charged in court for sabotage for all kinds of things ....

So due process is not working in Malaysia. The law is not working. You can go to parliament and ask for vote of no-confidence but, unfortunately, the government party – which is the majority – is beholden to the prime minister because these votes of no-confidence are against a prime minister. His men would not support the vote of no-confidence, so we could not get the support of the majority. So, the parliament is helpless....

So, within the country now, the law is not open anymore. The rule of law is just ignored or abused.... That is why we have to seek other means of bringing this matter to the attention of people.

BN: On the appointment of Malaysian Armed Forces chief Zulkifeli Mohd Zin as the director general of the NSC, analysts feel the appointment should not have happened in the first place.

Mahathir: I wish to talk a bit about the National Security Council. It has extraordinary powers. For instance, if a killing occurs in the area, there will be no inquest; there will be no post-mortem .... And this may apply to a military officer, police officer or the public.

So this is huge power and this is given to a general. He's the only one who can make a lot of decisions, and he is known as someone who is close to the prime minister. That's why he should not be appointed. It should be someone who has nothing to do with any party.

BN: What is your secret of longevity?

Mahathir: Well, firstly I don't smoke. I don't drink and am moderate in everything, including consumption of food. I do some exercise.

BN: ... At 91, you are still standing strong and sharp.

Mahathir: Well I suppose as I said just now, my habits don't undermine my health. I don't smoke. That is extremely important. I don't drink and also I am very moderate where food is concerned and whatever I am doing is concerned.

BN: How did you keep your stress level down when you were the prime minister for 22 years?

Mahathir: I don't get too upset about things. I regard it as natural for a politician to be condemned, cursed and labelled and demonized, and all that.

That is normal. All politicians must accept that it is a price that they have to pay.

BN: How much longer will you remain in politics?

Mahathir: As long as I can stand on my feet and talk – and talk with sense –  I think I will remain in politics. Otherwise it will be very boring.
An earlier version incorrectly identified Najib Razak as a former deputy of Mahathir Mohamad.


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BENARNEWS- A new move by Malaysia to bolster its defenses in eastern Sabah state aims to deter potential coastal threats from the nearby southern Philippines as Manila's new government escalates operations against Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants, a security expert told BenarNews.
"We cannot rule out the possibility that their shore is just close to us," Professor Zaini Othman, who directs the Strategic Security Research Center at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, said Wednesday.
Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters during a weekend visit to Sabah that his ministry intended to boost security there against threats posed by the extremist group Islamic State (IS) and militant groups based in the neighboring southern Philippines, the state-run Bernama news agency reported.
The move comes after the government of newly installed Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte late last month intensified a military offensive against the ASG in Sulu Province, whose southern end lies close to Sabah's easternmost tip.
On Sept. 2, a bomb blast killed at least 14 people in Davao City, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. A Philippine radio station, DZMM, reported that ASG, whose senior ideological leader had sworn allegiance to IS, had claimed responsibility for the bombing, according to Rappler.com.
ASG this year abducted Malaysian and Indonesian sailors from ships sailing in waters that separate Borneo from the southern Philippines. Eight Indonesians and at least four Malaysians are believed to still be in the group's custody, after 18 sailors from Indonesia and Malaysia were released by ASG and another armed group in the southern Philippines earlier in 2016. Two more Indonesian sailors reportedly escaped.
Over the weekend, three Filipino nationals and permanent residents of Sabah were abducted from a Malaysia-registered fishing boat sailing off the state, Malaysian authorities confirmed.
Last week, Duterte and his Indonesian counterpart, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, signed a bilateral agreement in Jakarta on strengthening maritime security in their common waters, such as through launching joint naval patrols to safeguard the Sulu Sea from future hijackings.
"We hope in the future there will be no security problems in the Sulu Sea and we will do joint patrols to ensure the safety at the sea," Jokowi said Friday during a joint news conference at the Presidential Palace.
"I apologize, Mr. President, as sometimes the coal deliveries needed for power plants in my country have been delayed due to the hijackings," Duterte told Jokowi, according to the Jakarta Globe.
Bolstering coastal defenses
Among the new defensive measures being taken by Malaysia, the government will deploy 20 armored vehicles and at least four helicopters equipped with Gatling guns to the Lahud Datu area, which lies within the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), Bernama quoted Hishammuddin as saying. The Malaysian military will also install radar and coastal surveillance systems at five locations on Sabah's east coast, the defense minister said.
ESSCOM was created in the aftermath of a deadly incursion three years ago by an armed group from the Sulu archipelago in the southern Philippines. The group called itself the Royal Army of Sulu, and its members identified themselves as followers of a self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu.
In early 2013, Malaysian security forces put down the insurrection by around 200 fighters from Sulu. Seventy-two people, including 56 Sulu gunmen, 10 members of the Malaysian security forces and six civilians were killed in fighting spread over several weeks in Tanduo village.
ESSCOM is responsible for overseeing security from northern Kudat to south-eastern Tawau.
"The ESSCOM brigade has been stationed in Felda Sahabat ever since the Tanduo incident took place. Therefore, the announcement made by Hishamuddin is more about boosting the military strength in the said area," security analyst Zaini told BenarNews.
'There is no shift'
Since taking office in Manila in late June, Duterte, the former mayor of Davao City, has launched a deadly crackdown on suspected drug traffickers and has stepped up military operations aimed at crushing ASG.
Through early September, more than 3,000 people have been killed in Duterte's war on drugs. The campaign has drawn international criticism including from the United States, a longtime close ally of the Philippines, over alleged extrajudicial killings of suspects.
This week, the Philippine president ratcheted up tensions with the U.S. by saying that American special forces, which have been stationed in Mindanao and serving as advisers to the Philippine army in the war against ASG, should leave his country.
On Tuesday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Pefecto Yasay moved to smooth tensions with the United States.
"There is no shift in so far as our policy is concerned with respect to our close friendship with the Americans," Yasay said according to Agence France-Presse.
The deployment of five more battalions to Sulu by Duterte's government in its offensive against Abu Sayyaf could cause a ripple effect, which could push militants to flee to Sabah from their bases in the southern Philippines, Malaysian media quoted ESSCOM chief Wan Abdul Bari Abdul Khalid as saying on Sept. 5.
He said Malaysian forces were on high alert for potential incursions by Philippine militants, according to reports. He declined, however, to comment to BenarNews about the new security initiatives in Sabah.
Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata in Jakarta contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Thailand's far south is hopping as a hub for secret Islamic weddings, drawing Malaysian men who go there to marry second, third or even fourth wives without their other spouses knowing about it, officials say.
By the hundreds already-married men from neighboring Malaysia cross over each year to tie the knot with other women in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern border region, exploiting a loophole that allows them to get around the law in their home country, Islamic leaders say.
The Central Mosque in Songkhla, a border province inside Thailand, is a hive for such weddings.
Many of the weddings there involve married Malaysian men who take on other brides, according to Sakriya Binsaela, chairman of the Islamic Committee of Songkhla. Relatively few of these marriages involve first-time grooms, he said.
"Today, Aug. 31, there are 10 Malaysian couples coming for weddings. Some days there are more," Sakriya told BenarNews.
As many as 30 Malaysian couples marry in Songhkla every day and, last year, 4,500 couples from Malaysia were wed in the province, according to local Islamic authorities.
Imams – Muslim preachers – are compelled to perform such marriages because Muslim law permits them. In Islam, a man can take as many as four women in wedlock as long as he can provide for and maintain each of his families equally.
"To not perform the wedding ceremony at the request of the bride and the groom that we know are going to share their lives as husband and wife is sinful," Sakriya said.
Potential problems
Crossing the border to marry in Thailand is an old practice, according to a Malaysian man who spoke to BenarNews in Songhkla.
"This has been around for decades since Malaysia has a strict law. A man who wants to marry a second wife must obtain permission from the first wife, must have financial stability and must follow the religious tenets," Mokem Abdullah said, adding that men who do not meet those requirements leave the country to skirt Malaysian sharia law.
Government records support claims that Thailand is a destination for Malaysians to tie the knot. During an 18-month period that ended in June, more than 6,000 Malaysian couples were married in Thailand, Mohammad Afandi Abu Bakar, the Malaysian Consul-General in Songkhla, told state-run news agency Bernama.
But this number only includes couples who registered their marriages.
"Couples who do not register their marriages with the consulate will face difficulty validating them in Malaysia," the consul-general said.
Malaysian, Thai officials meet
Speaking at a conference in July for marriage registrars and Islamic religious committee members from the five provinces that make up Thailand's southern border region, a Malaysian government official said both countries needed to work together to ensure that marriages are valid in Malaysia, Bernama reported.
A marriage that is not legally recognized could create problems for wives and children, said Jamil Khir Baharom, a minister in the Prime Minister's Department. Therefore, a mechanism needs to be developed with Islamic authorities in the southern Thai provinces of Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and Satun regarding marriages and divorces of Malaysian couples.
Those who do not register their marriage with the Malaysian government could face complications in registering the birth of a child even though the marriage was recognized in Islam, Bernama quoted the minister as saying.
"Since the number of marriages involving Malaysians in South Thailand increases every year, these matters have to be resolved to avoid problems in future," he said.
"The problem becomes more serious when there is death or divorce because of problems in verifying the next of kin during property distribution."
Lightning wedding
Among those men who have crossed the border to take on another wife is a Malaysian businessman who asked not to be identified.
He said he married his second wife at the Narathiwat Islamic Council three years ago, after his first wife did not approve of his wish to marry another woman.
The first wife does not know about her husband's second wife – he visits her twice a week during business trips to northern Perak state, where spouse No. 2 lives.
The wedding was handled by marriage agents based in Kota Baru, a city in the Malaysian state of Kelantan, which is just across the border from Thailand.
"The whole procedure was fast. We left from Kota Baru, Kelantan, around 8 a.m. and by 1 p.m. we were already husband and wife," the man told BenarNews. "We only needed to bring our identification card and two witnesses for the solemnization – that's all."
During the Nikah wedding ceremony, the groom proposes to his bride in front of at least two witnesses. The bride and groom then repeat "I accept" three times, making the marriage legal.
"It was cheap. We spent just over 1,200 ringgit (U.S. $290) for our transport, fuel, food and fees for the Islamic council."
The couple registered their marriage with Malaysian religious council after each paid a fine of 1,000 ringgit ($241) issued by the sharia magistrate court back home.
Haireez Azeem Azizi in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia's King granted a rare audience Thursday to former Malaysian Premier Mahathir Mohamad to discuss public calls for the removal of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is embroiled in a corruption scandal, according to Mahathir's son and aides.
King Abdul Halim met Mahathir for more than an hour at his palace in the northern Malaysian state of Kedah as the ex-premier  submitted to him a "People's Declaration" endorsed by more than 1 million Malaysians calling on Najib to quit over his alleged involvement in the looting of billions of dollars in state funds, Mukhriz Mahathir told BenarNews.
Najib has flatly rejected the corruption charges, linked to the debt-laden state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and deposits into his private accounts worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
"I can confirm the meeting was held at 4:45 p.m. today (Thursday) in the palace," Mukhriz said. "We honestly thought it's going to be a short meeting, probably 30 minutes, but it lasted one hour and 15 minutes.
"Now that we have submitted the declaration, at least we can now tell the people that we have done our part," said Mukhriz, who was the chief minister of Kedah state before Najib's loyalists forced him out of power earlier this year.
"...[T]he ball is no longer in our court. The appeal made by 1.4 million Malaysian signatories have now been passed to the King," Mukhriz said of the four-eyed meeting between Mahathir and King Abdul Halim, 89, who has been the long serving sultan of Kedah.
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Former Premier Mahathir Mohamad signs the guest book at theIstana Anak Bukit in Alor Setar, Kedah before meeting the Malaysian King on Thursday evening, Sept. 15, 2016 [Courtesy of Khairuddin Abu Hassan]
Malaysia's nine sultans take turns to become the country's constitutional monarch under a unique rotational system introduced toward the end of British colonial rule in the 1950s.
Malay Muslims 60 percent of population
Their roles are largely ceremonial, and the power to govern Malaysia resides with parliament and the prime minister. But the traditional rulers are regarded as the supreme upholder of the Malay tradition and the symbolic head of Islam. Malay Muslims comprise some 60 percent of multi-racial Malaysia's 26 million people.
Last year, in rare comments, the rulers had called for a swift, transparent investigation into the troubled state-fund 1MDB, saying the government's failure to give convincing answers on the scandal may have resulted in a "crisis of confidence."
Mukhriz said he did not know the details of the discussions between Mahathir and the King in Anak Bukit, the royal town of Kedah.
Sufi Yusuf, special officer to Mahathir, and the former's leader's lawyer, Mohamad Haniff Khatri, also confirmed the one-on-one talks.
"Dr. Mahathir received an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong [King] this evening and submitted the People's Declaration and [discussed] matters pertaining to the declaration," Sufi told BenarNews.
"I can't divulge other details," he said. "He [Mahathir] went to the meeting without being accompanied by anyone."
The King's principal private secretary, Syed Unan Mashri Syed Abdullah, when contacted by BenarNews couldn't confirm the meeting, saying he was away performing his pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
The mainstream Malaysian media did not carry any reports on Thursday about Mahathir's talks with the King.
While rejecting the corruption charges, Najib has launched a crackdown on dissent and assumed sweeping security powers that some critics say threaten human rights and democracy and could be used to disallow protests.
Najib dismisses declaration
The People's Declaration was put up for signatures online and on paper after Mahathir and nearly 60 other opposition leaders as well as civil society leaders launched it in March in a rare show of solidarity.
Aside from calling for the removal of Najib through legal, non-violent means, the declaration, which has gathered 1.4 million signatures as at July, sought the repeal of laws that violate fundamental rights, and the restoration of institutions whose integrity has allegedly been undermined, such as the police, the central bank and Malaysia's anti-corruption body.
Najib's government has dismissed the declaration, saying the move by Mahathir and his allies "demonstrated the depth of their political opportunism and desperation."
"There is an existing mechanism to change the government and prime minister. It's called a general election. And it is the only mechanism that is lawful, democratic, and fulfils the people's will," a government statement had said.
Early this year, Mahathir had quit the ruling party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), saying he could no longer stay in a party dedicated to supporting the scandal-plagued Najib.


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BENARNEWS- During Friday's 53rd anniversary of Sabah and Sarawak joining Malaysia, some residents of both Borneo island states protested for greater autonomy.
While Prime Minister Najib officiated over Malaysia Day festivities in Sarawak, some 100 protesters in its capital, Kuching, called for autonomy for the state.
The national government has left Sarawak behind and not fully honored the Malaysia Agreement of 1963, by which the resource-rich and underdeveloped region gained its freedom from British rule and joined the Malaysian federation, said Peter John Jaban, the founder of "Sarawak for Sarawakians."
"It is like a bad marriage, where the wife is abused over and over again. Despite all that, we still celebrate the wedding anniversary. That is how many of us feel today," Jaban told BenarNews.
The movement he heads has been pushing for the state to secede from Malaysia.
Elsewhere on Friday, Najib was in Bintulu, about 600 km (372 miles) from Kuching, to preside over this year's festivities marking Sarawak and Sabah's merger with Malaysia.
Najib told celebrants Friday night that he wished to see people in both states enjoying a similar standard of life to those in peninsular Malaysia, The Star newspaper reported.  There are many things to be proud of in the nation made up of peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, he said.
Meanwhile in Sabah, Chief Minister Musa Aman said in his Malaysia Day message that Sabahans should not allow themselves to be swayed by those sowing disunity between the state and peninsular Malaysia.
"We must not succumb to their plan," he said.
BN maintains control
The Barisan Nasional coalition, which heads the Malaysian government and has ruled over East Malaysia for decades, maintained control of Sarawak in May when it captured 72 of 82 seats in the state's legislative assembly elections. Chief Minister Adenan Satem won his first electoral bid as an incumbent.
Adenan succeeded Abdul Taib Mahmud two years ago when Taib became governor of Sarawak, despite allegations of corruption over his 33 years as chief minister. Additionally, an Australian senate committee is investigating money-laundering allegations against Taib's family over multi-million dollar real estate deals and assets in Australia.
Since Adenan's victory, Najib has been met with calls for Sarawak to receive higher royalties for Sarawak's oil and gas resources. Adenan describes ongoing talks with the federal government as positive.
In his electoral campaign, Adenan called on voters to give him a bigger mandate so he could "speak up" to Kuala Lumpur to regain powers lost since Sarawak joined Malaysia.
"In the Malaysia Agreement we signed, all kinds of powers were given to Sarawak, but now the federal government just takes and takes and takes," Adenan was quoted as saying during the campaign. "I want those powers back as it was in 1963."
Public holiday declared in 2010
Najib declared Malaysia Day an official public holiday in 2010 after parliament a year earlier debated the exact date of Malaysia's independence.
The Federation of Malaya gained independence from Britain on Aug. 31, 1957. Sarawak and Sabah along with Singapore joined the federation to form Malaysia in 1963 – but the federation expelled Singapore two years later.
Plans to officially declare the country of Malaysia on Aug. 31, 1963, had to be postponed to Sept. 16 because of opposition from neighbors Indonesia and Philippines.
Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister James Jemut Masing said all Malaysians must honor and respect Sept. 16 as the true date when Malaysia as a nation was conceived.
"It is important and significant and to be taught in schools so that younger generations know their history," he said.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia's king has refused to weigh in on a public petition led by ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad calling for the removal of scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak, according to a statement issued by Najib on Wednesday.

Mahathir met King Abdul Halim for more than an hour last week to hand him a "People's Declaration" endorsed by more than one million Malaysians and that calls on Najib to quit over his alleged involvement in the looting of billions of dollars in state funds, said Mahathir's son Mukhriz.

Najib said Wednesday that the king had informed Mahathir that he did not want to get involved in activities of Mahathir's new opposition party, the United Malaysian Indigenous Party (PPBM). The declaration was unconstitutional, according to the statement from Najib.

"I have already been informed that His Majesty the King, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, had granted an audience to PPBM Chairman Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Anak Bukit Palace in Alor Setar last week," said Najib's statement, written in Malay. 

"At that meeting, his majesty took note of issues raised by Tun Dr. Mahathir. However, his Majesty the King also explained to Dr. Mahathir that his majesty cannot get involved in efforts by PPBM," the statement went on to say.

"That is because the declaration made by PPBM is not in line with the constitution. Any actions should be carried out according to standard practices, that is, through parliament and the electoral system for people to make their decision."

Najib did not say how he had obtained the information about the meeting between King Adbul Halim and Mahathir, as well as the monarch's stance.

PPBM is the new party launched by Mahathir and other senior politicians who have defected from Najib's United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party.

It is highly unusual for political figures to speak for Malaysia's monarch, a widely respected figure regarded as the supreme upholder of the Malay tradition and the symbolic head of Islam.

The palace has released no information about the Sept. 15 meeting between the king and Mahathir, and there was no immediate response from the royal household to Najib's statement.

'Ball is no longer in our court': Mukhriz

Najib has flatly rejected the corruption charges, linked to the debt-laden state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and deposits into his private accounts worth close to U.S. $700 million.

Mukhriz Mahathir, who is vice-president of PPBM, had expressed relief that his father was granted an audience by King Abdul Halim over the petition. 

"Now that we have submitted the declaration, at least we can now tell the people that we have done our part," said Mukhriz, who was the chief minister of Kedah state before Najib's loyalists forced him out of power earlier this year.

"...[T]he ball is no longer in our court. The appeal made by 1.4 million Malaysian signatories [has] now been passed to the king," Mukhriz said of the meeting between Mahathir and King Abdul Halim, 89, the long-serving sultan of Kedah.

Malaysia's nine sultans take turns to become the country's constitutional monarch under a unique rotational system introduced toward the end of British colonial rule in the 1950s.

Their roles are largely ceremonial, and the power to govern Malaysia resides with parliament and the prime minister.

Last year, in rare comments, the rulers had called for a swift, transparent investigation into the troubled state-fund 1MDB, saying the government's failure to give convincing answers on the scandal may have resulted in a "crisis of confidence."

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BENARNEWS- Malaysian police Thursday announced the arrests of three foreigners and a local man over alleged links to terrorist-related activities, including a Bangladeshi on Interpol's Red Notice.
The 37-year-old Bangladeshi who owned a restaurant in Bukit Bintang, a popular tourist spot in Kuala Lumpur, was arrested and deported for suspected involvement in smuggling weapons for terrorist groups, Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar said in a statement.
The police chief did not reveal the names of the Bangladeshi or the other three suspects. The police statement did not say whether the four suspects were linked to one another.
"The suspect is listed on the Interpol's Red Notice for alleged involvement in firearms trafficking for international terrorist organizations," Khalid said in a statement issued on Thursday.
He said the suspect, who was arrested Aug. 19, was deported to Bangladesh on Sept. 2.
"In the case of Red Notices, the persons concerned are wanted by national jurisdictions for prosecution or to serve a sentence based on an arrest warrant or court decision. [Interpol's] role is to assist the national police forces in identifying and locating these persons with a view to their arrest and extradition or similar lawful action," according to information posted on the website of the Lyon, France-based international police organization.
Khalid said that the second foreigner, a 38-year-old Nepalese, was suspected of supplying forged travel documents to international militants. He was arrested on Aug. 19 and deported from Malaysia on Sept. 2 as well.
The third suspect, a 26-year-old Moroccan who worked in this country as a welder, is an active member of Islamic State (IS), according to the chief of Malaysian police.
Khalid noted that the suspect was detained by Turkish authorities in February while trying to enter Syria.
"Upon his release in Turkey, the suspect infiltrated into this country in early May before being caught on Aug. 2 and subsequently deported back on Wednesday," he said.
All the suspects were picked up in separate operations by the Malaysian police's counter-terrorist special branch in the states of Selangor and Pahang between early August and Sept 17, his statement said.
Malaysian suspect linked to IS fighter in Syria
Khalid said the fourth suspect, a 34-year-old Malaysian man, is linked to Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi who allegedly has been fighting with Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria since January 2015.
"The suspect, who is employed as a personal driver to a businessman, was detained in September.
"He is linked to Muhammad Wanddy and has been actively promoting IS through his Facebook account," Khalid said in the statement.
He added that the suspect was arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA).
Wanndy on wanted list
Wanndy, who is also known as Abu Hamzah al-Fateh, is high on the Royal Malaysia Police's police wanted list for his alleged involvement in plotting the first successful attack claimed by IS on Malaysian soil. On June 28, eight people were injured when a grenade exploded on a patio at a nightclub in Puchong, near Kuala Lumpur.
At least six people have been arrested in connection with the attack. Two have pleaded guilty to charges, including attempted murder, and four others have been charged with abetting the attackers.
Previously, Wanndy, who hails from Durian Tunggal in the state of Malacca, made headlines when he was linked to a death threat issued by IS against top Malaysian leaders, including Prime Minister Najib Razak and police chief Khalid.
Wanndy's name resurfaced just days before the country's Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 31, when he was allegedly linked to a botched plot to launch attacks at several sites on the eve of the National Day, following the arrest of three men.
Since 2013, Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 230 suspected IS members and have warned that Malaysians returning from combat stints in Syria or Iraq could launch terrorist attacks at home. At least 72 alleged IS members have been charged in court.
S. Adie Zul contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia and the United States are discussing the de-radicalization process required to release at least one of two Malaysians linked to al-Qaeda and who are incarcerated at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi met this week in New York with U.S. Ambassador Lee Wolowsky, the special envoy for the closure of Guantanamo, according to state-run news agency Bernama. Zahid said he was informed about the possibility of the release of detainee Mohamad Bashir Lap to his home country, but that Bashir would have to undergo a de-radicalization process in a Malaysian prison.
Last week, a U.S. Periodic Review Board (PRB) declared that the "continued law of war detention" of Bashir and fellow detainee Mohamad Farik Amin was necessary to "protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States."
"oth detainees will receive a file review in six months, just like all detainees who are not approved for transfer through the PRB," a U.S. State Department official told BenarNews in an email on Friday.
The two Malaysians are among 61 people from around the world being held at Guantanamo, which the U.S. government is looking to shut down.
In its assessment of Bashir, dated Sept. 15, the board noted that it looked forward to reviewing his file in six months, and it encouraged the Malaysian government to undertake efforts to prepare for his possible transfer out of Guantanamo. In Farik's case, the board did not mention a potential review in six months, and noted a lack of credible evidence that he could be de-radicalized.
According to Zahid, a committee of representatives from Malaysia's Home Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, National Security Council, Attorney General's Chambers, Royal Malaysia Police, Prisons Department and Immigration Department, would be set up immediately to establish a protocol regarding the de-radicalization process, Bernama reported. He invited Wolowsky to visit Malaysia to explain the requirements for transferring detainees.
"I am confident the Malaysian de-radicalization program can rehabilitate the Malaysian detainee," said Zahid, who is also Malaysia's home minister. He was in New York to lead the Malaysian delegation to the U.N. General Assembly.
On Friday, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said he hoped the United States would decide to transfer Farik as well. "If the U.S. will let us," he told BenarNews.
"He is our countryman, he is a citizen of this country. We must take care of him and try to rehabilitate him," Khalid said, referring to Bashir.
Detainees linked to Bali, Jakarta attacks
Bashir, 39, and Farik, 41, have been in U.S. custody since September 2006.
In a document released in March 2016, the U.S. government described Bashir as a key lieutenant for senior al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leader Hambali of Indonesia, who also is in custody at Guantanamo Bay.
Following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington, Bashir was to be a member of a suicide cell for an al-Qaeda "second wave" targeting the tallest building in California, the U.S. government alleges. He also allegedly facilitated funding from al-Qaeda that was used for the Bali attacks in 2002 and the bombing of J.W. Marriot hotel in Jakarta in August 2003, which killed a total of 214 people.
"Most of [Bashir]'s comments on life after detention have centered on continuing to engage in violent extremism. [Bashir] views America as an enemy of Islam, and he has spoken of his intent to fight and kill Americans, specifically U.S. soldiers. [Bashir] has not shown any regrets, and should he be released, most likely would engage in wars where he perceives Muslims are being oppressed," according to the document posted at the U.S. Department of Defense's Periodic Review Secretariat website.
A similar document filed against Farik claims that Hambali hand-picked him for the California "second wave" and that Farik also facilitated funding for the Bali and Jakarta attacks.
"[Farik] developed a close relationship with Hambali, serving as a key lieutenant and interlocutor, while providing operational support to terrorist activities – including casing potential targets, researching and practicing bomb making, obtaining weapons and acquiring false documents," the U.S. alleges.
The document states he is willing to be killed on the battlefield, if given the opportunity and shows no specific plan regarding how he would reintegrate in Malaysia, if released.
Hambali, who appeared before the review board in August, has been called an operational mastermind who served as a main liaison between JI and al-Qaeda from 2000 until his capture in 2003.
De-radicalization
Malaysian police visited the detainees twice – first in 2007 and again in 2015, a counter-terrorism official told BenarNews.
"It was under the Malaysia's government request to the U.S. that Malaysian authorities be allowed to conduct assessment on the two detainees," the expert said. That assessment will be used in the de-radicalization process, according to officials.
Asked about that assessment, Khalid said Malaysia had no plans to share it with the U.S. at this time.
"We will wait for further developments on the proposal made by the deputy prime minister," he told BenarNews.
During a international counter-terrorism conference in Bali last month, Zahid proposed establishing an Interpol-led secretariat for de-radicalizing militants from South and Southeast Asia. The proposal called for setting up a secretariat spearheaded by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) whose mission would be to de-radicalize militants at an international level.
Since 2013, Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 230 suspected members of Islamic State and have warned that Malaysians returning from combat stints in Syria or Iraq could launch terrorist attacks at home. At least 72 alleged IS members have been charged in court.


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BENARNEWS- A Malaysian judge in the northern state of Kedah on Monday charged five men with kidnapping nine immigrants and demanding stiff ransoms from relatives back home in Bangladesh.
The victims – eight Bangladeshis and a Myanmar national – "were weak, starved and had their legs chained" when police rescued them on Sept. 6 from a house in Pedang, on the outskirts of Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah, the Bernama news agency reported at the time.
The rescue came after police received a tip that six Bangladeshi men had been abducted from a construction site in Sungai Petani, in the southern part of Kedah. The three other victims had been kidnapped in Perak and Kuala Lumpur.
Kedah police chief Asri Yusoff said the victims' families in Bangladesh had received threats that the victims would be killed if a ransom of 15,000 ringgit (U.S. $3,600) each was not paid, according to Bernama.
Malaysians Mohd Ibroni Abdullah, 36, and Zainal Nayan, 32, Myanmar nationals Zangir Alam and Saiful Shona Miya, and Bangladesh citizen Abul Husin Akhbar appeared in court Monday to face charges related to abducting, illegally detaining and confining the nine immigrants.
A judge in Alor Setar Magistrate Court charged the five under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act of 1961 and Section 34 of the penal code, which carry a mandatory death sentence or life in prison upon conviction.
The judge ordered the five, who were not represented by counsel, to be held without bail, and set Oct. 24 as the next court date, pending appointment of an interpreter for the foreigners.
The northern states of Kedah and Perlis have been in the news for human smuggling activities in recent years involving several towns along with border with Thailand.
In May 2015, Malaysian officials discovered 139 graves containing 106 corpses in abandoned human smuggling camps hundreds of meters from the Thai-Malaysia border, near the town of Wang Kelian, Perlis.
The same month, 36 corpses were found in similar sites on the Thai side of the border.
Following that discovery, Thailand launched a crackdown on human smuggling that triggered a humanitarian crisis. Close to 3,000 ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar and Bangladesh nationals, abandoned by their handlers, suddenly came ashore in Malaysia and Indonesia.
As many as 103 individuals, including a Thai army general, are on trial for human smuggling in Thailand, a lawyer involved in the case told BenarNews.
To date, however, Malaysia has prosecuted only three individuals for human trafficking stemming from the Wang Kelian case.


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BENARNEWS- The Philippines said Tuesday that its military had dealt Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants "a major blow" by killing two brothers linked with the group, who allegedly helped kidnap more than two dozen sailors at sea, including Malaysians and Indonesians.
Nixon Muktadil, who heads the Muktadil gang that is affiliated with ASG, and his brother Brown were killed Tuesday as part of a campaign by Philippine security forces to free all kidnap victims being held by Abu Sayyaf and other armed militant groups in the southern Philippines, Philippine officials said. Hostages still in custody include five Malaysians and five Indonesians.
Western Mindanao Command spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan said troops from the Joint Task Force Sulu, assisted by volunteers from Panglima Estino town, engaged in a shootout with the siblings on Tambulian Island, according to a news release from the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
"The fall of the Muktadil brothers is a major blow to the ASG as the siblings served as sea guides and navigators during the group's conduct of kidnapping in the high seas," the statement quoted Tan as saying.
Nixon and Brown took part in kidnappings of 26 Filipinos, Malaysians and Indonesians, the spokesman said. Another brother, Mindas, was killed in a shootout with law enforcement officials in Jolo, Sulu province, in May 2015. Another brother, Khadafy Muktadil, was arrested in November.
Also on Tuesday, the Philippine National Police announced that it broke up a gun-running syndicate supplying high-powered guns and ammunition to ASG, and seized a cache of grenade launchers, military rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition, valued at 6 million pesos (U.S. $124,000), the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported. The syndicate's leader, Unding Kenneth Isa, and three accomplices were arrested Saturday in Metro Manila.
Ransom payment claim
According to a report published by Philippine-based news website Rappler.com, Abu Sayyaf has collected at least 354.1 million Philippine pesos (U.S. $7.3 million) in 2016 from ransoms paid for hostages. Of that amount, at least 324.1 million pesos ($6.7 million) was raised through ransoms paid for Southeast Asian sailors.
Ransoms have been paid for 17 Indonesians who have been released by Abu Sayyaf this year, Rappler reported.
Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has denied paying for the release of hostages.
"What is for sure is that the governments of Indonesia and the Philippines did not spend any penny to pay the ransom," Ryamizard said.
"If we obey them [their demand to pay a ransom], it means we are under their power," he added as he commented on the release of three Indonesian sailors from ASG custody on Sept. 18.
The three were freed after being held for 10 weeks, a day after after Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad was released after being held for months. During the Scandinavian's captivity ASG executed two Canadians who were kidnapped alongside him.
Meanwhile, Malaysia continues to seek the release of five sailors who were abducted by ASG from their ship off the coast of the Eastern Malaysian state of Sabah in July.
Halim Ishak, who was involved with the April 1 release of Malaysians relatives Wong Teck Kang, 31, Wong Teck Chii, 29, their cousin Johnny Lau Kim Hien, 21, along with Wong Hung Sing, 34, said the government is trying to locate the missing Malaysians.
"The victims are hidden in various places and often move from one place to another," Halim, the chairman of the Malaysian Community Care Foundation, told BenarNews. "The CCF expects all parties to be patient as the government is determined to help free the victims."
A security analyst said Malaysia needed to improve its efforts against militant groups.
Malaysia should be combatting kidnapping in a professional manner and not paying ransoms, security analyst Akhbar Satar told BenarNews.
"To me, Malaysia should not bow down to the pressure of the kidnappers because it will be a trend," he said. "Perhaps, we should opt for the use of special ops to free the hostages just like the U.S."
Trilateral efforts
Meanwhile, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia have held a series of meetings aimed at improving security for sailors in the region. The nations have discussed the need for joint maritime patrols to halt kidnappings by ASG and other groups in the Sulu and Celebes seas that separate the countries, but have not been able to launch those patrols.
Now, the new president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, is stepping up efforts against AS. His government has deployed nine police and military battalions, totaling about 9,000 personnel, to suspected hideouts in the southern island provinces of Sulu and Basilan. As a result, 21 ASG members surrendered Friday in Sumisip, Basilan, according to government officials.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak called for justice after an international criminal investigation team concluded Wednesday that an antiaircraft missile transported from Russia shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine two years ago.
Netherlands chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke, who heads a joint investigation team (JIT), said the probe had ruled out all other possible explanations for the crash of MH17, BenarNews sister entity Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported. The airliner was shot down on July 17, 2014, over Ukrainian airspace while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board.
"Based on the findings, Malaysia wants firm action to be taken. We have promised that those who were responsible for the downing of the aircraft will be brought to justice," Najib told Malaysian media, according to state news agency Bernama.
"We owe it to the families. The families want justice. So we will pursue this," Najib said.
Malaysia would call for a meeting with the other countries that lost their citizens, namely the Netherlands and Australia, the prime minister added.
Relatives of Malaysian victims of the disaster welcomed the report.
For more than two years, the victims' family members have wondered who was responsible for the downing of the Boeing 777, said Noorlin Mohd Noor, the sister of passenger Norahimah Mohd Noor.
"If it is true as revealed, another mystery now needs to be unlocked – why MH17 was shot down?" Noorlin told BenarNews.
The latest developments give relatives of MH17 victims hope that justice can be served, said Munirah Mustafa, whose sister, Mastura, was a passenger on the doomed flight.
"At last, we have answers that we sought for so long," she told BenarNews. "I hope they take appropriate action and the government of Malaysia does not forget the fate of victims' family members."
Criminal investigation goes on
Speaking at a press conference in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands, Westerbeke said the JIT could not reveal all of its findings for fear of hampering its criminal investigations.
He said the investigation had identified about 100 people who are being looked at further. Westerbeke stressed that "a clear impression of the chain of command" must be established before it could be determined if they were culpable, reported Voice of America (VOA), a sister entity of BenarNews.
Investigators determined that a Russian surface-to-air Buk missile system was brought into Ukraine shortly before the tragedy, and then smuggled back to Russia shortly afterward.
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Australian Assistant Police Commissioner Ian McCartney (from left), Malaysian Public Prosecutor Mohamad Hanafia bin Zakaria, Malaysian Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar and Dutch Chief Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke present preliminary results of the MH17 investigation. [AFP]
The JIT showed a 10-minute animation interlaced with photographs and videos taken in July 2014 that showed the Buk system being brought into Ukraine and arriving near the town of Snizhne, RFE/RL reported. It also presented audio and photographic evidence that a missile was launched and the same Buk unit, with only three missiles, was traced moving by night through the Ukrainian city of Luhansk and into Russia.
The JIT includes representatives of the countries most affected by the tragedy – Malaysia, the Netherlands, Australia and Belgium working in cooperation with Ukraine to gather evidence that could be used in criminal prosecutions in any of those countries.
Dutch police said the latest findings along with those from an earlier investigation could be solid enough to be used in a criminal trial, VOA reported. Prosecutors cannot file charges at this time because international investigators have not agreed in which court to hold a trial.
Previously, the Dutch Safety Board concluded that MH17 was downed by a Buk missile fired from rebel-controlled territory in Ukraine.
Russia: No radar data
Reacting to JIT's interim report, Russian officials on Wednesday said radar data proved that no rocket was fired from within territory held by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, VOA reported.
On a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian radar had identified all flying objects over the rebel territory.
"The data are clear-cut ... there is no rocket," he said. "If there was a rocket, it could only have been fired from elsewhere."
In July 2015, Russia used its U.N. Security Council veto to block a resolution aimed at creating an international MH17 tribunal, saying that doing so would be "counterproductive."
A JIT official said Russia had not provided its radar data to its investigators and it had not been evaluated. Westerbeke said the JIT had made several requests for information from the Russian government during its two-year investigation and had received "partial answers to some of them."
The JIT has been working with the British-based open-source research group Bellingcat, which has used social media posts to track the movement of a Buk missile unit from near the Russian city of Kursk to the Ukrainian village of Snizhne in the days before the MH17 downing and to track the same units return to Russia immediately afterward.
"Obviously, the Russians are doing everything they can to undermine this press conference," Bellingcat founder and director Eliot Higgins told RFE/RL on Wednesday. "They released this radar data. You know, it was ridiculous really because they managed to prove that their previous press conference was a lie.
"In the first press conference, [the Russians] said there was a jet three to five km (1.8 to 3.1 miles) away, and in the recent one they said there was nothing anyway near it. So, you know, the Russians are going to try very hard to not to admit responsibility for this."
A. Ariffin in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- A Malaysian court Wednesday convicted senior opposition leader Chua Tian Chang for uttering words deemed as seditious during a speech that criticized the government in 2013, and sentenced him to three months in prison.
The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court also fined Chua, a lawmaker and vice president of the People's Justice Party (PKR) 1,800 ringgit (U.S. $435), for speaking words "to the extent of encouraging people to change the current government" through an "illegal method."
"The accused used words such as 'bangkit' (rise), 'turun ke jalan' (take to the streets), which were uttered soon after the results of the 13th general election were announced," Judge Zulqarnain Hassan ruled in finding Chua guilty of sedition. "I am very satisfied with the fact that the remark made by the accused had inclination toward being seditious."
Chua is one seven MPs and two assemblymen from opposition parties who have been charged under Malaysia's 68-year-old Sedition Act since 2013, according to reports. The government of Prime Minister Najib Razak, which has faced allegations of corruption, in recent years has also charged or detained scores of political activists and critics under the law.
Chua had faced a potential maximum sentence of three years and/or a fine of 5,000 ringgit (U.S. $1,208), but the judge stayed the three-month sentence that he handed down, pending a possible appeal.
Chua's lawyer, N. Surendran – an MP who himself has been charged with sedition – said his client would appeal.
Shock, anger over verdict
Chua was convicted for comments made during public forums at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Halls on May 29, 2013.
His words did not result in any violent or untoward incidents, Surendran said in arguing for a lighter sentence on his client's behalf. Five others, an MP and four social activists, face similar charges for comments at the same forum and will be tried separately.
Melissa Sasidaran, an official with Lawyers for Liberty, expressed shock at the verdict that went against Chua. All he did was to call on people to protest against the outcome of the 2013 general election – which is "not against the law," Sasidaran told BenarNews.
Chua's conviction represents "a setback in the ongoing fight for freedom of expression in the country," Shamini Darshni, the head of the Malaysia chapter of Amnesty International, said in a statement.
She called on authorities to cease prosecuting people under the Sedition Act.
"We also urge for all charges of sedition against activists, politicians and dissenting voices, including the cartoonist Zunar, lawyer Eric Paulsen, activist Khalid Ismath and opposition MP N. Surendran, be dropped," Darshni said.
Lawyer: Judge erred
Lim Chee Wee, a former chairman of the Malaysian Bar, said the trial judge may have erred in finding that the words "bangkit" and "turun ke jalan" amounted to sedition.
"Because those words are more likely to mean protest as opposed to calling for change of government," he told BenarNews.
Lim, who serves as a member of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Operations Review Panel, said that Najib should fulfill his promise to repeal the Sedition Act and replace it with harmony laws drafted by the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC).
Najib had promised in 2012 to repeal the act, but reversed his decision and instead strengthened it.
The Sedition Act, enacted by British colonial rulers in 1948 to combat communists, was amended by Malaysia following race riots in 1969. The law defines "sedition" broadly and places many limits on free speech, particularly over sensitive political issues, according to a report by Center of Independent Journalism Malaysia.
In June, human rights organization Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) said it had documented 220 cases in 2015 brought under the Sedition Act. Most of those cases involved human rights defenders and opposition politicians, according to a report claiming that those detainees were subjected to lengthy incarceration, denial of bail and torture.


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BENARNEWS- A female medical student who is the latest Malaysian to join Islamic State in Syria informed her mother in a letter that she went to the war-torn region to "wage jihad," the chief of Malaysia's counter-terrorist police branch told BenarNews.
The 25-year-old woman is among only three Malaysians who have traveled abroad this year to join IS's ranks in the Middle East, although one of them was deported from Turkey last week, Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said.
"I can confirm as of [September], only three have left for Syria. One has been detained and sent back here," Ayob told Benar.
The woman, a student at a medical laboratory college in Kuala Lumpur, left for Syria on Aug. 29, and sent her mother a letter saying she hoped that her jihadist efforts would help her parents reach heaven, according to the head of the police's counter-terrorist special branch.
"If the situation allows, I will contact you, be patient mother, there will be time where no more laws and regulations by the unbelievers. Islam will win and the Sharia law will be spread all over the world. Do not be sad mother, be patient, be patient for Allah," she wrote, according to an excerpt from the letter that was printed in a police report seen by BenarNews.
The student enclosed the title to her car as well as other personal documents, and told her mother not to tell anyone about her "migration" if she loved her, Ayob said.
The letter stated that she wanted to die a martyr and live under the "true Islamic ruler" in Syria. It surprised her mother because the daughter had never shown an inclination toward militancy, according to Ayob.
He said the woman's family learned that she had left her studies, after a lecturer called to say she had failed to attend her internship at a general hospital in the state of Negeri Sembilan, beginning on Aug. 25.
"Even then, they were not aware that she had left the country until the mother received a letter from her daughter in early September," Ayob said. "She is the first woman this year who left the country to join IS."
Investigators determined the woman was affected by the deaths of her father in 2006 and her boyfriend in 2013. She became a loner who often listened to religious songs and used her savings to buy a one-way ticket to Syria, Ayob said.
'Others brought their wives and little children along'
According to Ayob, 58 Malaysians are with IS in Syria or Iraq.
Since 2013, as many as 90 Malaysians have joined the extremist group, of which 24 are believed to have been killed in battle and eight were arrested and charged with terror-related offenses after returning home from the Middle East, Ayob said.
Those who are still with IS in that region consist of 32 men, 10 women and 16 are children.
"Some went there alone while others brought their wives and little children along," Ayob said.
Included among those who departed for Syria in 2016 is a 20-year-old engineering student from a university in the southern state of Johor. Turkish authorities sent him home on Sept. 22, after they caught him while he tried to cross into Syria to join IS, Ayob said. The student had left Malaysia on Sept. 7.
"We are detaining him under SOSMA [the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act of 2012]," Ayob said.
Another Malaysian, a 21-year-old business management and economics student from Pahang state, left his university in Perak for Syria on June 6, according to the counter-terror official.
Since 2013, the Malaysian government has pursued suspected IS members and sympathizers to stem the group's influence in Malaysia and prevent it from radicalizing and recruiting youths.
During that time, authorities have arrested at least 230 suspected IS members and have warned that Malaysians returning from combat stints in Syria or Iraq could launch terrorist attacks at home. At least 75 alleged IS members have been charged in court.
In late June, IS claimed its first terrorist attack in Malaysia when two motorcyclists threw a hand grenade that exploded outside a nightclub in Puchong, Selangor, injuring eight people.


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BENARNEWS- A spokesman for indigenous people in Malaysia's Kelantan state vowed Friday to block a logging road in a protected forest until state officials stop granting licenses to cut down timber in the area.
Members of the Kelantan Network of Orang Asli Villages (JKOAK) set up the blockade earlier this week in an area they claim as their ancestral land, and rebuilt it late Wednesday after a tense standoff with loggers in which shots were fired, according to the activists.
"I cannot say how long we will be here but my friends and I will continue this blockade as long as the loggers don't leave, as long as the forest clearing and logging doesn't stop," JKOAK secretary Mustafa Along told BenarNews on Friday.
"Our demand now is that for the state government to open their eyes, listen to our complaint and stop and withdraw all the licenses. As long as there is logging, our blockade will continue."
According to footage of the confrontation Wednesday published by The Star, a Malaysian newspaper, a man used a chainsaw to tear down the bamboo structure while activists were still clinging to it.
A man also fired shots at the activists, according to one of them, identified only as Halim.
"A vehicle with two people inside stopped in front of us, and one took out a rifle and fired. After that, we didn't have a chance to take a picture, we ran down into the forest. He got down, he put in another round and he fired again," Halim said on camera.
Three of the men were briefly detained in a truck, according to Mustafa Along. He said the trio filed a complaint Wednesday night at the district police station in Gua Musang, a town in southern Kelantan about two hours from where the confrontation took place.
Gua Musang police deputy Sow Sing said Wednesday's incident was being investigated.
"The situation is not as bad as reported. There were no shots fired," he told BenarNews.
No contact
Malaysian indigenous rights activist and lawyer Siti Kasim told BenarNews that no state official had made contact with the indigenous activists since their protest began.
She claimed that contracts issued by Kelantan state government specify that logging companies should resolve any issues with indigenous people themselves.
"I saw a clause in one of the logging contracts. So as far as the state government is concerned, I suppose, they have protected themselves already, if any problem occurs. It's really up to the contractors to sort it out with Orang Asli over any problems on the ground," she told BenarNews.
She said the protesters were not against logging but wanted it to be done appropriately without "destroying the jungle and the mountain."
Kelantan Deputy Chief Minister Nik Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, who is in charge of the state's regional development, land affairs and natural resources portfolio, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BenarNews.
An official with the Malaysia Chinese Association Kelantan Liaison Committee said Friday he had witnessed first-hand how rampant logging in the region had triggered soil erosion that cut road links and the access of Orang Asli to towns and food sources.
"It is baffling how the loggers obtained licenses for felling logs in Permanent Reserve Forest (PRF), when the land was purportedly meant to be conserved for ecological services such as water catchment protection and soil stabilization," said the statement by Lua Choon Hann.
In December 2014, the East Coast state of Peninsular Malaysia was hit by the worst flooding in the past decade, displacing more than 100,000 people from their homes. At the time, the National Security Council secretary blamed rampant logging activities for worsening the flooding and landslides, according to Malaysian media.
On Thursday, Kelantan Forestry Director Zahari Ibrahim said that 7,248 hectares of more than 600,000 hectares of permanent forest reserves in Kelantan have been illegally occupied since the 1980s, according to Bernama, the state news agency.
The illegally cleared forest land was being used for agriculture, including palm oil production, and settlements, he said.
But on Friday, Natural Resource and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar denied that permanent forest reserves in Kelantan had been cleared, according to the Malay Mail Online. "The Kelantan Forestry Department is actively monitoring developments on this issue," it quoted him as saying.
Indigenous people comprise about 12 percent of Malaysia's 31 million people.


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BENARNEWS- Fifteen Malaysian military personnel have been arrested for alleged involvement in terrorist activities since 2013, according to the nation's anti-terror chief, Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.
Of the 15, three were released after investigations, five were charged for terrorism-related activities, and seven others are being held under anti-crime laws that cover acts of terrorism, Ayob told BenarNews.
"We are working with the military on this matter. IS influences everybody; military and police personnel are not exempted," he said, referring to the so-called Islamic State group.
On Sept. 26, Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was quoted as saying that about 1 percent of suspected IS supporters arrested to date were members of the nation's armed forces.
He did not give the number of military suspects, or an overall number of people arrested for suspected ties to IS. But he said his department was taking the development seriously.
"We are going all out. The Military Religious Corps (Kagat) and Military Intelligence have been tasked to monitor and gather intelligence on our men and women for any signs that they may be influenced by militant propaganda," Malaysian daily The Star quoted him as saying.
"Whoever has access to computer is exposed to the threat of Daesh," he said, using another name for IS.
"Whether they are a soldier, whether it is our son, our children, could be a bus driver, they are considered to be someone that is potentially capable of conducting threats of that nature," he said, speaking on the sidelines of an international military seminar in Kuala Lumpur.
Born-again Muslims
Low education levels and poor religious knowledge make some army personnel an easy target for IS radicalization, former Royal Malaysia Police special branch deputy director Hamid Bador told BenarNews.
"At the same time some of these soldiers, those who have gone astray, became born-again-Muslims. They cut corners to redeem past sins. Thus the shortest way to heaven is to be a mujahideen and die as a martyr," he told BenarNews.
He said there is a need for a special de-radicalization program for the armed forces. "Mobilise the lower ranks in peacetime military activities. Do not leave them idle for too long," he said.
Ahmad El-Muhammady, an analyst assisting Malaysian authorities in de-radicalization programs, said the backgrounds of terror suspects detained by Malaysian police are diverse, indicating that IS propaganda has reached many parts of society.
"[T]o me this is not about number and percentage, it is about the existence of radical ideology that penetrated into military and security forces, regardless of how many of them [are] involved," he told BenarNews.
A majority of the detainees are sympathetic to the sufferings of Muslims in war-torn countries such as Syria and "trying to help with all sincerity," he said.
"In the case of military men, they feel that they can contribute to the struggle of Syrian people because they have combat skills, and weapon handling, and physical fitness. Knowing and unknowingly, they have breached the law of the land," he said.
Ayob said 58 Malaysians are with IS in Syria or Iraq: 32 men, 10 women and 16 are children.
Of the 90 who joined the extremist group in the Middle East since 2013, 24 are believed to have been killed in battle, and eight were arrested after returning home, Ayob said.
Since 2013, authorities have arrested at least 230 suspected IS supporters on home soil and have warned that Malaysians returning from combat stints in Syria or Iraq could launch terrorist attacks at home.
In late June, IS claimed its first terrorist attack in Malaysia when two motorcyclists threw a hand grenade that exploded outside a nightclub in Puchong, Selangor, injuring eight people.


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BENARNEWS- Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad said Wednesday he had asked the country's nine traditional rulers and four of its governors to dismiss Prime Minister Najib Razak in the wake of a scandal involving the looting of billions of dollars in state funds.
Mahathir said his request was necessary following his "unconvincing" meeting with King Abdul Halim in September during which he presented his "Citizens' Declaration" endorsed by 1.2 million Malaysians calling on Najib to resign over his alleged involvement in the scandal linked to troubled state fund 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which Najib chairs.
"We are making an appeal to the rulers to consider our appeal to take action against the wrongdoings of Najib. We want to know if the rulers have an opinion on 1Malaysia Development Berhad and the U.S. DOJ lawsuits," Mahathir said at a Wednesday news conference at the Perdana Foundation in Putrajaya.
In July, the United States Justice Department (DOJ) filed a dozen lawsuits seeking to recover more than $1 billion in assets it said had been stolen from 1MDB and illegally laundered through American financial institutions.
Najib has denied wrongdoing or taking money for personal gain in the 1MDB affair.
"The civil suits brought by the U.S. Justice Department regarding 1MDB must be given space and opportunity for the judicial process to be carried out. Any individual who has been named must clear their own names," Najib said in a Facebook post in late July.
"The government will fully cooperate in this case and, God willing, sooner or later we will know the truth. As has often been emphasized, the government will ensure that no public money has been misused," he added.
The declaration campaign launched by Mahathir and 40 others in March calls for Malaysians to join in a quest to remove Najib from office through peaceful means.
Mahathir said he had promised all who signed the declaration that he would send letters about it to the sultans and governors who represent Malaysia's 13 states and comprise the country's Conference of Rulers. The conference is scheduled to meet next week.
There was no immediate reply to requests for comments on Mahathir's announcement sent to the Prime Minister's Office, spokesman for ruling Barisan Nasional coalition Rahman Dahlan, and Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.
Authority?
It was not immediately clear whether the Conference of Rulers, a largely ceremonial body, has the power to dismiss the country's prime minister.
"The Constitution provides that in exercising his functions, the YDPA [king] must generally follow the advice of the prime minister or cabinet," according to an article on Malaysia's executives posted on the Malaysian Bar association website.
Lawyers for Mahathir claim that the Malaysian constitution does grant that power to the king.
"People have been questioning whether the king has the power to remove or act against current ruling party leader. From my point of view, the answer to the question is in the constitution itself – the highest piece of legislation in the country," Mahathir's lead counsel Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla said recently.
"Article 40(2) (a) states that the King may act in his discretion in the appointment of a prime minister. Yes, it doesn't talk about the power to dismiss the prime minister," Haniff told BenarNews after a forum on the topic in Kuala Lumpur on Sept. 30.
But, according to Haniff, Section 29 of the 11th Schedule under the constitution mentions "where a written law confers upon any person or authority a power to make appointments to any office, the power shall be construed as including a power to dismiss or suspend any person appointed and to appoint another person temporarily in the place of any person so suspended".
Former de-facto law minister Nazri Aziz dismissed Haniff's interpretation, saying the king can only remove a Prime Minister if he has lost majority support in parliament.
"In the constitution it stated that, Agong [the king] appointed prime minister according to majority of the support he receives in the parliament. As long as the current PM has the majority standing at his side, he cannot be removed from his position.
"Agong can't simply remove PM like a walk in the park. We must follow proper procedure, the process must take place in the parliament," he was quoted as saying in a Free Malaysia Today report.
Malaysia's nine sultans take turns as the country's constitutional monarch under a unique rotational system introduced in the 1950s.
In a rare comment last year, the rulers called for a swift, transparent investigation into 1MDB, saying the government's failure to give convincing answers on the scandal may have resulted in a "crisis of confidence."
The former prime minister met Sept. 15 with the king to discuss calls for Najib's removal from office. The meeting lasted more than an hour at the palace in the northern Malaysian state of Kedah.
"In the end, I could not convince the king," Mahathir said Wednesday.
"I can't repeat what he said because this was (done) in confidence. What we have requested cannot be implemented. Why? Don't ask me. Maybe he thinks he has no power," Mahathir said.
A. Ariffin contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 10 people in the eastern state of Sabah suspected of leaking information about regional security operations to Abu Sayyaf militants and other criminals based in the nearby southern Philippines, Malaysia's police chief said Friday.
The suspects who were arrested Thursday night are believed to have passed on classified information to the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and other armed groups that have carried out multiple kidnappings of Malaysian and Indonesian sailors in local seas in recent months, Malaysian media quoted Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar as saying.
The suspects were caught through a joint operation that was still underway on Friday by Sabah police and personnel from a regional military base, the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), according to Khalid.
"Those arrested were civilians, residents of Sabah and individuals from the southern Philippines," he said.
He did not rule out the possibility that some Malaysian security personnel could have played a role in passing on sensitive information about ESSCOM operations to Abu Sayyaf and other criminal gangs, according to reports.
"I am not denying it. There is a possibility," Khalid told a news conference at Royal Malaysia Police headquarters.
The Filipinos who had entered Sabah without proper papers could be charged for flouting Malaysia's immigration laws, he added. All of the suspects who have been arrested could be charged with violating the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act of 2012 (SOSMA) for allegedly passing on sensitive information, Khalid said.
On Sept. 28, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said a leak might exist where classified information about ESSCOM activities had been passed on to enemies of the state, the New Straits Times reported that day.
"I am not accusing anyone but it is not impossible for information to be passed to our enemies," the Malaysian news outlet quoted Zahid as saying.
"They [enemies] are also aware of the assets required by [ESSCOM] and its related enforcement agencies may not be complete, thus the strengths and weaknesses are well-known," Zahid said, according to NST.
Close by
Sabah's eastern coastline, where ESSCOM is based, lies close to the Sulu archipelago in the southern Philippines and a region of the neighboring country where six Malaysian sailors and two Indonesian sailors remain in the custody of Abu Sayyaf or other southern Philippine militant groups that have taken people hostage and held them for ransom.
ESSCOM, the regional security command, was created in the aftermath of an incursion in February 2013 by 200 fighters who crossed into Sabah and identified themselves as the Royal Army of Sulu and followers of a self-proclaimed sultan, Jamalul Kiram III, who has since died. Seventy-two people were killed in fighting that broke out between Malaysian security forces and the armed intruders.
This week's joint crackdown by state police and ESSCOM also took place amid a stepped-up military offensive launched by the new president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, who has vowed to crack down against Abu Sayyaf in the country's far south.
Last month, Malaysia's Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein announced that the government intended to boost security in eastern Sabah to ward off potential threats posed by the Middle East-based extremist group that calls itself Islamic State (IS) as well as by Abu Sayyaf and other southern Philippine militant groups.
Lucrative business
ASG, a loose network of militant groups that pledged allegiance to IS, has collected millions of dollars from kidnappings in recent years, according to online reports.
This year alone, Abu Sayyaf has collected at least 354.1 Philippine million pesos (U.S. $7.3 million) in 2016 from ransoms paid for hostages, Philippine-based news website Rappler.com reported.
ASG has beheaded at least three men in the last year when ransom demands were not met. Two Canadians were executed in April and June and a Malaysian man, Bernard Then, was executed in November 2015.
Meanwhile, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia have held a series of meetings aimed at improving security for sailors in the region. The neighbors have discussed the need for joint maritime patrols to halt kidnappings by ASG and other groups in the Sulu and Celebes seas that separate the countries, but have not yet launched those patrols.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian authorities say they have arrested 16 men on suspicion of links to terrorism, including 14 whom officials named as members of a terror cell led by a citizen who allegedly has been fighting for Islamic State (IS) in Syria since last year.
The suspects, 15 Malaysians and one foreigner, were captured during a series of raids conducted by the Malaysian police's counter-terrorist branch from Sept. 21 to Oct. 6 in the states of Selangor, Kelantan, Perak, Kedah, Penang and Sabah, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said in a statement issued on Sunday.
Fourteen of the suspects are members of a new group, Gagak Hitam (Black Crows), which is headed by Muhammad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi (also known as Abu Hamzah al-Fateh), according to Khalid.
Police allege that Wanndy ordered a grenade attack at a nightclub in Puching, on the outskirts on Kuala Lumpur, that injured eight people on June 28 in the first attack claimed by IS on Malaysian soil.
The 14 are suspected of "channeling funds to him," Khalid said, referring to Wanndy.
Among the other two suspects, a 20-year-old student at a public university in Johor was arrested at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Sept. 22, Khalid said. The student had traveled to Istanbul on Sept. 7 and was detained by Turkish authorities the next day after he allegedly planned to travel to Syria to join a terrorist group in that country.
Another suspect, a 32-year-old man from North Africa, was arrested in Selangor on Sept. 25 and identified as a member of Jahbat Al Nusra, an Islamic terror group in Syria, Khalid said. The North African had traveled to Malaysia several times since May this year and is suspected of having a role in a syndicate forging travel documents.
Malaysian officials identified those arrested as five businessmen, four technicians, a public school counseling teacher, a bank employee, an executive manager, an antique collector and a student. Two others are unemployed. All 16 suspects are being investigated under the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act of 2012 (SOSMA), Khalid said.
Reacting to news of the arrests, Malaysia's Ministry of Education (MOE) on Monday issued a stern warning to any teacher, support staff under the ministry or student involved in militant activities.
"An action without compromise will be taken if proven [that] any teacher or staff support under the MOE is involved with these activities, including activities such as spreading slander through various social media, and activities that patterned against the ruling government," Director General of Education Khair Mohamad Yusof said in a statement.
Cooperation necessary: Expert
Rohan Gunaratna, director of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told BenarNews that cooperation between police and different social groups is necessary to neutralize an emerging threat from IS in Malaysia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
"To counter the current threats that are emerging in Malaysia, the government should bring religious authorities, law enforcement and educators together. While education authorities should encourage modesty, religious authorities must fend off extremist propaganda," said Gunaratna, a columnist for BenarNews.
For many months, Malaysian officials have warned that their country faces a threat from IS recruiting local youths to its ranks via social media, and from Malaysian IS veterans returning from combat tours in the Middle East plotting terror attacks on home soil
Since 2013, as many as 90 Malaysians have joined the extremist group abroad, of which 24 are believed to have been killed in battle and eight were arrested and charged with terror-related offenses after returning home from the Middle East, Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, the head of the of the Malaysian police's counter-terrorist branch, told BenarNews last month.
Those who are still with IS in that region consist of 32 men, 10 women and 16 are children.
Since 2013, authorities have arrested at least 230 suspected IS members and have charged at least 75 suspects linked to the group in court.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia's government is escalating a crackdown on "peaceful" speech to shield Prime Minister Najib Razak from criticism such as public discontent over a looming corruption scandal, Human Rights Watch says in a new report.
The government is resorting to laws to criminalize dissent as Najib's government comes under international scrutiny over the scandal around state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), among other controversies, HRW says.
"As Prime Minister Najib's political fortunes fall, Malaysia's intolerance of critical speech seems to rise," Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement issued with the report. "Malaysia's future as a rights-respecting nation shouldn't become hostage to defending the Najib government's reputation."
Malaysian government officials dismissed the report following its release at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Paul Low, a minister in the Prime Minister's Department, told BenarNews he didn't believe that there was a rise in the number of cases filed under the Sedition Act – one of the laws cited in the HRW report.
It "has been used less and less during the last year," the minister said but without giving any figures to back up his assertion.
According to HRW, Najib's government has been using the Sedition Act, the Official Secrets Act, and the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) to target people who have criticized Najib, including those who have called on the prime to resign over the 1MDB affair and other scandals.
"Rather than treating such statements as normal give-and-take in a democratic society, the Malaysian authorities have treated such speech as criminal, investigating those involved for sedition," according to a copy of the report seen by BenarNews.
Since July 2015, Najib has been under pressure to step aside amid allegations that nearly U.S. $700 million in funds linked to 1MDB wound up in his private banks accounts. Najib has refused to resign and has denied allegations of wrong doing, saying the money was a donation.
In July 2016, the U. S. Department of Justice filed court papers seeking to recover more than $1 billion in assets and properties that were paid for with money allegedly stolen from 1MDB.
The report calls on Malaysia to repeal the Sedition Act in its entirety and amend the CMA and the Official Secrets Act.
No limits to state secrets?
HRW says the government has used the Official Secrets Act to quell leaks about a report that the government issued in January on its investigation into the 1MDB scandal.
The watchdog's report cites the case of the arrest of opposition MP Rafizi Ramli, who was investigating the government's alleged failure to make pension payments to retired veterans and who challenged it to confirm that the army fund's investments in 1MDB did not affect its ability to make payments.
Rafizi claimed he had received a document from the auditor-general's report that supports his concern that 1MDB owed money to the fund, HRW says.
Rafizi displayed the document at a news conference on March 28, but did not provide copies to reporters. A week later, police arrested Ramli and charged him with two counts of violating the Official Secrets Act and one count of criminal defamation. He faces a trial on the charges.
According to the HRW report, the Communications and Multimedia Act "has become the government's weapon of choice against those criticizing or satirizing the government or Malaysia's rulers."
Salleh Said Keruak, the minister of Communication and Multimedia, took issue with this point. He told BenarNews that the law's provisions were "applicable to all" people and broad range of issues, and not just for "malicious and harmful content on the prime minister."
The government has used the act to block websites, despite pledges by Najib in 1996 and 2011 to not censor the Internet, according to HRW.
HRW specifically names four websites – Sarawak Report, Medium, Malaysia Chronicle and Asia Sentinel – that have been shut down over critical reporting of the 1MDB scandal and other political issues.
"But of course if you are talking about websites ... if you tell the truth, it shouldn't be a problem. There is some news put up by some portals that is not true," Low told BenarNews.
Melati A. Jalil in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian satirical cartoonist Zunar, who faces trial next month on sedition charges, appears to be grounded after immigration officers stopped him from leaving his country for a trip to Singapore, he said Monday in a statement.
Zunar, a BenarNews contributor whose real name is Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, said he tried to board a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore on Monday but was stopped by an immigration officer. A second officer said the order to prevent him from leaving the country had come directly from Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar on June 24.
"The IGP and the director of immigration have no right to stop or control my movement and barring me from leaving the country. Only the court does, and even then can only be carried out under specific laws," Zunar said in the statement.
Zunar's complaint drew a terse response from Khalid.
"He can challenge me if he wants," the police chief told BenarNews.
The cartoonist pointed out that while he faces nine charges under the Sedition Act, he has not been convicted – and is awaiting trial on Nov. 22.
"This clearly shows gross abuse of power and blatant violation of human rights by these individuals," he said.
Malaysia's High Court in April turned down a constitutional challenge by Zunar to the Sedition Act, clearing the way for his upcoming trial.
The travel ban on Zunar was done in bad faith, infringes on his constitutional rights and is an abuse of immigration power, Eric Paulsen, executive director of Lawyers for Liberty and one of the cartoonist's lawyers, told BenarNews.
Under the Immigration Act, the agency has discretionary power to bar anyone from leaving the country but it cannot be used arbitrarily against those deemed critical of the establishment, according to Paulsen.
"Zunar has not missed any of his sedition hearings despite having traveled extensively after his arrests, which strengthens the perception that the authorities have no solid reason to bar him from traveling," Paulsen said.
Ongoing harassment: cartoonist
Zunar, whose cartoons are sometimes published on BenarNews, alleged that this was another form of the government's ongoing harassment to stop him from drawing his cartoons critical of Prime Minister Najib Razak and the government.
Along with the sedition charges that could bring a sentence of 43 years, Zunar said he had been jailed twice, for two days in September 2010 and for three days in February 2015.
"Five of my cartoon books are banned and my office in Kuala Lumpur was raided a few times with thousands of my cartoon books confiscated," he said.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia next month will officially open a messaging center whose mission is to counter online propaganda from Islamic State (IS) and other extremist groups, the nation's police chief told BenarNews.
The messaging center will be housed at the Malaysian Police Training Center (Pulapol) in Kuala Lumpur, Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar said last week.
"Structurally, we are already under way. At first we had an issue regarding the venue, but that's already been resolved. The PM will launch [the center] in November. We've already done a soft start," Khalid told BenarNews.
Authorities in Malaysia and neighboring Indonesia have long warned of a threat posed by IS and like-minded groups using social media to indoctrinate and recruit local youths as supporters and combatants.
IS has a Malay-language combat unit, known as Katibah Nusantara, made up of fighters from countries where forms of the language are spoken, and which has produced Malay-language propaganda.
Experts from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) are working with police officers to develop content to be disseminated by the center, according to the police chief.
"We are getting assistance from JAKIM. As you know, we have to be very careful with the content. The content will be in three languages English, Malay and Arabic," Khalid said.
He added that the Malaysian center had sent officers to Abu Dhabi to learn about the Sawab Center, a messaging center launched by the United States and United Arab Emirates that seeks to "draw out the poisonous propaganda" of IS, according to its website.
At the International Conference on De-radicalization and Countering Violent Extremism in Kuala Lumpur in January, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak spoke about the importance of countering extremist narratives with messaging that was "solid, persuasive and real."
"It must state clearly why they [IS] are wrong, and why true Muslims will have nothing to do with this ideology of hatred and destruction," he said.
About 1,000 Southeast Asians had joined IS in Iraq and Syria by the end of 2015, according to the U.S. State Department.
IS claimed an attack in downtown Jakarta in January 2016 that left eight people dead, including four attackers. An alleged IS supporter was killed Thursday in Tangerang, West Java after attacking police officers with a knife.
Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 230 suspected IS members since 2013 and have charged some 75 suspects linked to the group in court.
Police allege that a Malaysian in Syria ordered a grenade attack at a nightclub on the outskirts on Kuala Lumpur in June that injured eight people, the first IS attack on Malaysian soil.

An earlier version of this story contained several inaccuracies including the name of the center.



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BENARNEWS- Tensions are building ahead of a rally being planned for Nov. 19 in Kuala Lumpur by Bersih, a coalition of Malaysian NGOs advocating clean government.
Organizers of the Bersih 5.0 rally said they received death threats, and an official from the ruling party was arrested Wednesday for threatening to incite race riots in multi-ethnic Malaysia if they went ahead with the street demonstration.
Jamal Md Yunos, a division chief for the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and leader of its Red Shirt activist group, was picked up at Kuala Lumpur International Airport as he returned home from a trip to Dubai, according to media reports.
Zainol Samah, the police chief in Dang Wangi district, confirmed Jamal's arrest but declined to elaborate, the state-run Bernama news agency reported.
In a phone interview following his arrest, Jamal told BenarNews he was remanded for two days of custody and was being investigated for alleged defamation, criminal intimidation and sedition.
He said he was arrested as part of an investigation into alleged slander for posting a comment on Facebook on Sept. 21 "where I reminded the nation of the re-occurrence of the May 13, 1969, racial riots, if Bersih carries on [with] their Nov. 19 rally."
He was referring to the bloody May 13, 1969, incident when about 200 people were said to have been killed in clashes in and around Kuala Lumpur, after opposition parties supported by the ethnic Chinese community made inroads in a general election.
Malaysians of all races have attended massive annual Bersih rallies, but protesters from the ethnic Chinese minority predominate.
Since Sept. 14, when they announced their plans for Bersih 5.0, organizers have gone on the road to rally support around the big demonstration in mid-November but allegedly have been harassed by Red Shirt activists, local reports said.
Jamal told Benar that the goal of the Bersih road show was to persuade more people from the Malay ethnic majority – which dominates the ranks of UMNO – to participate in the upcoming rally.
Bersih, which means "clean," is a movement founded in 2006 that advocates clean government, transparency and fair elections, and it has spearheaded several massive street demonstrations in Malaysia.
At Bersih 4.0 in July 2014, demonstrators called for Prime Minister Najib Razak to resign over corruption allegations linked with state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) – accusations which he has denied.
Infiltrated by IS?
Last week, Jamal stirred up controversy by publicly suggesting that Bersih's ranks were infiltrated by members of the extremist group Islamic State (IS).
On Tuesday, Bersih chairwoman Maria China Abdullah said she and two colleagues had received death threats accompanied by doctored images of the three kneeling before an IS executioner with knife in hand.
The perpetrators "also sent images of my three sons' identification cards," she told a press conference at the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters late Tuesday.
The messages were sent from an unknown number over What's App, Chin said, adding that the number had been given to police.
Bersih committee member Mandeep Singh, who was among those threatened, told BenarNews that he and his colleagues were "not afraid at all."
"We reject all kinds of intimidation and threats like this and we ask the people to continue participating in our convoys and come on November 19 to continue spread the institutional reform agenda and other Bersih's demands," he told BenarNews.
Selangor state Police Chief Abdul Samah Mat told BenarNews that his department had opened an investigation into the alleged threats.
"We do not know whether it's from IS or not, let's see where the investigation leads us. However, a threat is still a threat, so we are taking it seriously," Abdul told BenarNews.
Jamal on Wednesday accused Bersih's leadership of spreading false information about threatening messages they had allegedly received.
"The matter was deliberately fabricated by Bersih to gain sympathy from the public, and [they want] to portray me as a bad person," Jamal said.
"But it's their right to make a police report and let the police investigate," he added.


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BENARNEWS- A new round of exploratory talks between Bangkok and southern Thai insurgents is under way in Malaysia and expected to go until Friday with the crucial issue of ceasefire zones on the agenda, a spokesman for the rebels told BenarNews.
The Malaysia-facilitated meetings that aim to re-open formal peace talks between the two sides are the first since early September, when the negotiating teams agreed to future discussions about the so-called safety zones, or a limited ceasefire touted as being key to moving the peace process along.
The latest round began on Tuesday with the delegations meeting in Putrajaya. Smaller, technical panels from both sides were to convene on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to discuss the safety zones and terms of reference (TOR) – a set of ground rules for formal negotiations – confirmed Abu Hafiz al-Hakim, a spokesman for MARA Patani, a panel representing rebel groups and factions from Thailand's Deep South.
"Yesterday a meeting was held in Putrajaya by the main panels," Hafiz said by phone Wednesday. "We both agreed to begin discussions on security zones, starting Wednesday for three days, as a step forward in building confidence of both parties."
Asked to confirm whether a new round of informal peace talks was taking place, a spokesman for the Thai military command in the Deep South spoke generally about the peace process.
"We continue with peace talks and our task is to create a favorable atmosphere for peace talks in cooperation with civil society and academia," Col. Pramote Prom-in, spokesman for the forward office of Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4, told BenarNews on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian state-run news agency Bernama reported on Tuesday that the two sides were meeting in Kuala Lumpur, and that Gen. Aksara Kerdpol was leading the Thai delegation.
"Both sides agreed to commence negotiations on the issue of the 'safety zones' beginning tomorrow as a step in confidence-building," Bernama quoted a source with MARA Patani as saying.
'Very committed': Rebel leader
Since 2015, Thailand's junta has been trying to revive formal peace talks for ending a long-running separatist conflict in the country's southern border region, and which were last held under a civilian-led government in 2013. More than 6,000 people have been killed during the past 12 years in violence associated with the rebellion in the predominantly Muslim and Malay-speaking Deep South.
"What I know is that both sides are very committed on the safety zone issue. Hopefully they will reach some points of agreement in this ... meeting in KL," Kasturi Mahkota, leader of the Patani United Liberation Organization (PULO), one of the rebel groups represented on MARA, told BenarNews on Wednesday. He said he was not at this week's meeting in Malaysia.
Bombing, shooting take place on eve of talks
The latest round of talks began on the anniversary of the Tak Bai incident, an infamous event in the history of the troubles in the Deep South and that helped inflame the conflict. Eighty-five people who were arrested during a protest outside a police station in Narathiwat province, suffocated to death after being handcuffed and stacked on top of each other in a police vehicle on Oct. 25, 2004.
The meetings took place against a backdrop of on ongoing violence in the Deep South. A day earlier, three people were killed and 22 injured in a separate bombing and shooting in the region. The attacks included a bombing of noodle stall at a night market in Pattani province on Monday evening when a 60-year-old woman was killed and small children were injured.
On Tuesday, following a weekly meeting of his cabinet, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha commented about the bombing of the noodle stall.
"As long as the perpetrators try to seize a chance to attack, there will be violence, but we try our best to stop it. The assailants did not expose themselves but mingled with the people," Prayuth told reporters in Bangkok.
Razlan Rashid in Kuala Lumpur and Nani Yusof in Washington contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia on Thursday launched its first integrated special operations unit whose job is to respond rapidly to terrorist attacks and snuff out such threats, officials said.
Officers from the Malaysian police, army, navy and coast guard are joining ranks in forming the new National Special Operations Force (NSOF), which will act as first responders in the event of terror attacks, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced, according to local media.
Najib said the unit of 17 officers and 170 personnel, based at the Sungai Besi army camp in Kuala Lumpur, would respond to national security threats from Islamic State (IS) and other militant organizations, the New Straits Times reported.
"NSOF acts as a quick reaction force to curb terrorism in the early stages. The land, air and maritime units will be mobilized as the early group and will confront, fight and eliminate the threats," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement reported by Malaysian state news agency Bernama. "Once the threat has been eliminated, NSOF will hand over the operation to security forces."
Najib praised the integrated force and said it would strengthen the nation's security.
"We are not apologetic for any measures taken by our security forces. This unit is based on the National Blue Ocean Strategy principle of sharing assets and capabilities, and acting under a single chain of command," Najib said at the official launch of NSOF. "Without peace and security, all bets are off," he said, according to Asia One.
The National Special Operations Force is almost fully operational and it functions in support of the controversial National Security Council Act implemented by Najib's government two months ago, according to a report published Thursday by Channel NewsAsia.
The new law empowers the prime minister to declare any place a security area for six months at a time – subject to renewal – and it allows the council to authorize stops, searches and arrests of people, among other actions, according to legal experts.
IS threats
For many months, Malaysian officials have said that IS aggressively recruits young people to its ranks through propaganda spread via social media. Officials have also warned that those returning from combat stints with IS in the Middle East could mount terror plots on home soil.
"To date, a total of 250 Malaysians who are involved with Daesh militants, have been detained in the country, 32 people have died in Iraq and Syria while more than 60 people are still fighting for the retrograde ideology," Najib said, according to Bernama, referring to IS by another name.
He said IS had pushed its ideology through social media, pointing to reactions to a grenade blast at the Movida nightclub in Puchong in June – the first attack claimed by IS on Malaysian soil.
"Fortunately, no fatal casualties, only eight were injured. Are we sure this thing will not recur. With the establishment of NSOF, it will improve our preparedness, and our ability to eradicate any incidents at any time," he said.
Malaysian suspect caught in Philippines
The announcement about the new unit occurred a day after Malaysian Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed that authorities in the Philippines had taken a Malaysian man into custody at a port in the town of Maluso, in the southern Philippine province of Basilan.
The man, whose identity has not been released, allegedly attempted to flee from the port to return to Malaysia after placing explosives at the port.
Philippine media reported that the man had been seen at a camp run by Abu Sayyaf Group militants in an Abu Sayyaf camp in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan. Authorities are investigating whether the man was training Abu Sayyaf members to make bombs.


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BENARNEWS- The families of five Malaysian sailors kidnapped in July and apparently being held by Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants in the Philippines are in limbo some two weeks after failing to meet the militants' ransom demand.
Gustiah Sultan, a 46-year-old housewife who has acted as a spokeswoman for the sailors' families, said she hoped for the best despite missing an Oct. 16 deadline to come up with a ransom of 2 million ringgit (U.S. $480,000). She said kidnappers threatened to behead the hostages if the families failed to come up with the money.
"I really don't know what to do. All I could do is pray and hope that the government will help us with this troubled episode of our lives," Gustiah told BenarNews.
On July 18, suspected ASG members kidnapped five crew members from the tugboat Serudong 3 during a hijacking at sea off the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah. The five men are Abd Rahim Summas, 62; Tayudin Anjut,45, Fandy Bakran, 26; Mohamad Jumadil Rahim, 23; and Mohd Ridzuan Ismail, 32. Ridzuan is from Felda Jengka 7, a palm oil settlement in Pahang state in peninsular Malaysia, while the other four are from Lahad Datu in Sabah.
Khalid Abu Bakar, the chief of Malaysian police, and Wan Abdul Bari Abdul Khalid, who heads the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), told BenarNews that they had no updates on the kidnappings. Abdul Rashid Harun, the police commissioner in Sabah, declined comment.
Gustiah, whose husband is Tayudin, has spoken to the media about efforts to raise funds to pay the ransom since the days following their kidnapping.
The Borneo Post reported on July 21 – three days after the men were taken – that Tayudin had contacted his employer about a ransom of 20 million ringgit ($4.76 million). Tayudin told his boss that the men were in good condition and were in Basilan, a province in the far southern Philippines.
In September, Gustiah served as a spokeswoman when the families sought permission from police to ask the public for donations to pay ASG's ransom demand. This time, she said the kidnappers had demanded 100 million Philippine pesos (8.65 million ringgit or $2 million), the New Straits Times reported on Sept. 28.
The most recent ransom demand came on Oct. 12.
Gustiah was able to speak to her husband during the phone call and intelligence officers determined that the call came from ASG. She said her husband told her that his fellow hostages were mostly well, but surviving on little food and water.
"We don't have that kind of money. Even after four days, we could only come up with 3,670 ringgit ($881) through donations, which is far off that the amount they demanded," Gustiah told Benar.
She has not spoken with the captors since the deadline passed and does not know the status of her husband and his fellow sailors.
"Even after the deadline, we can only collect about 20,000 ringgit ($4,800) in cash. I don't think we can manage what they demanded by year's end. I even begged them that we can't afford such money and needed more than four days to come up with that amount. I just hope my husband and the rest are fine," Gustiah said.
'Unwitting financiers'
Southeast Asia terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna said governments that pay ransoms are "the unwitting financiers of ASG."
"The only government that refused to pay was the Canadians and ASG beheaded their nationals. Canada should convene a regional and a global meeting to address this global challenge," said Gunaratna, a columnist for BenarNews who directs the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
He added both Malaysia and Indonesia should work with the Philippines to develop a strategy to contain, isolate and eliminate ASG. Philippines alone is incapable of fighting ASG effectively.
Officials from both the Indonesian and Malaysian governments have denied that they paid ransoms earlier this year in securing the release of other sailors from their countries who had been held hostage by militants in the southern Philippines.
"Most ASG fighters support the Islamic State and the money will be used by ASG to grow and expand," Gunaratna told BenarNews.
ASG, which has pledged allegiance to the extremist group Islamic State (IS), has collected millions of dollars through kidnappings in recent years, according to online reports.
This year alone, ASG has collected at least 354.1 million Philippines pesos (U.S. $7.3 million) from ransom paid for hostages, Philippine-based news website Rappler.com reported.
Muzliza Mustafa contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak embarked Monday on a six-day trip to China that promises to usher in closer bilateral ties in defense, trade, economic cooperation and other areas, according to analysts.
While in China, Najib is expected to witness the signing of at least 10 bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU) in a host of areas, including Chinese investment in Malaysian infrastructure projects, state-run news agency Bernama reported on Monday.
Najib also is expected to sign a contract for Malaysia's first significant defense deal with China – the purchase of Chinese-made navy ships, Reuters reported last week.
Balakrishnan R.K. Suppaiah, a senior lecturer in international and strategic studies at University Malaya, said Chinese assistance could boost Malaysia as it braces for economic uncertainty, as well as help Najib's government smooth relations with his country's ethnic Chinese minority.
"It will help fix relations between the Chinese Malaysians and the government," Suppaiah told BenarNews.
Najib's visit to China is his third as prime minister, and his second in two years.
As another analyst sees it, securing deals that could help Malaysia deal with current economic uncertainty could go a long way in boosting the prime minister's image and his chances at re-election. Since July 2015, Najib has been mired in a corruption scandal linked to 1MDB, a Malaysian state investment fund that his government started in 2009.
"Trade and investment is crucial at a time when Najib needs a further boost in the Malaysian economy so as to enhance his performance legitimacy to govern the country," Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, a fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore-based think tank, told CNBC.
"A sustainable growing economy, especially in 2017, will be a critical factor as to when Najib will hold the elections [due in 2018] and for Najib bolstering the chances of his coalition returning to government."
US relations
Although Najib's meetings in China signal warmer Sino-Malaysian ties, they will not affect Malaysia's longstanding alliance with the United States, according to Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, an analyst with Bower Group Asia, a political risk consulting firm.
He said the U.S.-Malaysian relationship remained strong despite the American Department of Justice filing lawsuits earlier this year that sought to recover more than a $1 billion in assets allegedly paid for with money stolen from the 1MDB fund.
"The White House has and still views Najib favorably," Asrul said, noting that Najib was a "key ally" in U.S. efforts to counter terrorism in Southeast Asia as well as the Obama administration's geo-political strategy of pivoting American military power back into region.
"Malaysia has always been balancing its position among the big powers and will continue to do so," said Dr. Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
South China Sea
Najib's trip could also herald a lowering of tensions over the two countries' territorial claims in the South China Sea (SCS), analysts said.
"China will behave for now and that will ease the tension on SCS," Suppaiah said.
Oh echoed that sentiment. "China can consolidate its good relations with neighbors, especially an SCS disputant such as Malaysia," he said.
In July, a U.N. tribunal rejected China's claims over the SCS in response to a complaint filed by the Philippines in 2013. The tribunal dismissed China's claims to the seas delineated by its so-called nine-dash line.
Following the decision, the Malaysian government said countries could resolve their disputes through diplomatic and legal processes.
"Malaysia believes that it is important to maintain peace, security and stability through the exercise of self-restraint in the conduct of activities that may further complicate disputes or escalate tension, and avoid the threat or use of force in the South China Sea," Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at the time.


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BENARNEWS- A lawyer defending a Malaysian school counselor who has been charged over alleged links to the extremist group Islamic State (IS) says his client is innocent.
The 30-year-old counselor who works at a middle school in Kedah state was arrested during raids by Malaysian police in six states that netted 16 suspects with alleged ties to terrorism in late September and early October.
Fourteen of the 16 belonged to a new group known as Black Crows (Gagak Hitam), which is led by Muhammad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi, an IS fighter based in Syria, police said.
The school counselor headed the Gagak Hitam network inside Malaysia and sent money to Wanndy in Syria on at least three occasions, according to a source close to the investigation.
Wanndy is suspected of having orchestrated an IS-claimed grenade attack that injured eight patrons at a Kuala Lumpur area nightclub in June.
The counselor was arrested Sept. 28 under the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act of 2012, and remains in custody. On Oct. 25, he was charged at the Magistrate's court in Kulim, Kedah for soliciting support for a terrorist organization and possessing an item related to a terrorist group, attorney Fadhly Yaacob said. The charge sheet did not specify what the item in question was.
"I will defend my client and do my part as his lawyer. To me, he is not guilty as per charged," Fadhly told BenarNews, adding his client pleaded not guilty.
The arrest shocked the family of the man who was popular among pupils and colleagues at the school in Kulim, the lawyer said.
"His arrest has affected his family emotionally. They do not believe that he is involved in [this] activity," Fadhly said, describing his client as a pious Muslim and man of good character. He declined to grant a BenarNews request to interview the counselor's relatives, citing attorney-client privilege.
Suspect funded IS activities: source
According to the source close to the investigation, the counsellor's first interaction with Wanndy dated to January 2015, when Wanndy shared news about happenings in Syria.
"He only started to pay 'infaq' in March – three times to Wanndy and several others through a middle man here," the source told BenarNews on condition of anonymity, referring to an Arabic word for a voluntary payment meant to please God.
It is believed that the money was sent to finance IS activities, the source said.
"So far, investigations have shown that his role was only to fund IS. There is no indication that he had recruited anyone or a school student to join IS," added the source, who declined to reveal how much money was sent abroad.
The counselor had closely followed Facebook accounts belonging to several Malaysian fighters in Syria, and he had pledged allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the source said.
'Everyone is exposed'
Meanwhile, according to the chairman of a state education committee in Kedah, the counselor had a clean service record.
"We feel very sad with the arrest, which is also the first in Kedah, as the state Education Department had issued a clear instruction before this for teachers to stay away from any activity which relates to IS," Tajul Urus Mat Zain told BenarNews.
"However, we also have to admit that it is almost impossible for the schools' authority to monitor what the teachers are doing outside their working hours. We suspect that the teacher had sympathized with extremist ideology through his contact with militant members via the Internet," he added.
For many months, Malaysian authorities have warned of a threat of IS recruiting young citizens via social media and campuses, and have said that IS veterans returning from combat stints in the Middle East could plot terror attacks on home soil.
According to the U.S. State Department, about 1,000 people from Malaysia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia had joined IS in Syria and Iraq by the end of last year. Since 2013, Malaysian authorities have arrested at least 250 suspected IS members and have charged at least 75 suspects linked to the group in court.
"Everyone is exposed because IS has very strong propaganda and is penetrating the media to their advantage," Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, the chief of the Malaysian police's counter-terrorist special branch, told BenarNews.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Wednesday praised growing strategic ties with China but signaled his irritation with the West by warning "former colonial powers" in an op-ed article to treat smaller countries "fairly" and not "lecture" them about their "internal affairs."
A day after presiding over the signing of a deal in Beijing to buy four warships from China – Malaysia's first purchase of Chinese military vessels – Najib elaborated in an opinion piece in the China Daily newspaper about deepening bilateral cooperation over trade, investment, and defense ties.
"Ties between our two countries are now set to reach new highs," Najib wrote.
Since he arrived in China on Tuesday for a six-day trip, Najib has witnessed the signing of more than a dozen memoranda of understanding worth 144 billion ringgit ($34.4 billion), including a deal for China to build a railway line in Malaysia, Agence France-Presse reported.
The trip comes at a time when several countries are investigating alleged misuse of funds from Malaysian state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed lawsuits in July seeking to recover more than $1 billion in assets allegedly paid for with money stolen from 1MDB. The stepson and associates of Najib were named as targets of the U.S. lawsuits.
A U.S. justice official close to the investigations told the Wall Street Journal that Najib, who has been mired in corruption allegations over 1MDB, was the person identified more than 30 times in the suits as "Malaysian Official 1." The prime minister has denied any criminal wrong doing in connection with the scandal.
'It is not for them to lecture ...'
Najib, who did not mention 1MDB in the article, wrote that it was "incumbent upon larger countries to treat smaller ones fairly."
"And this includes former colonial powers. It is not for them to lecture countries they once exploited on how to conduct their own internal affairs today," Najib said, adding, "Malaysia and China are united in agreeing on the need to defend the sovereignty of the nation state and in the belief that the individual histories, values and governance systems of different countries must be respected."
Najib's visit to China follows a trip made there recently by Rodrigo Duterte, the new president of the Philippines, who has spoken provocatively about building a closer relationship between Manila and Beijing and threatened to shift away from his country's longstanding alliance with the United States, its former colonizer.
The Philippines and Malaysia also are among countries in Southeast Asia involved in a dispute with China over their respective territorial claims in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, Indonesian and Australian officials have said in recent days that their countries are exploring the possibility of mounting joint naval patrols in the strategic sea.
In his op-ed, Najib also touched on efforts between Beijing and Kuala Lumpur to ease tensions in the South China Sea.
"The relationship between China and Malaysia is based on mutual trust and respect. At the same time, we recognize that there can be issues where even the closest of friends may disagree," the prime minister wrote.
"When it comes to the South China Sea, we firmly believe that overlapping territorial and maritime disputes should be managed calmly and rationally through dialogue, in accordance with the rule of law and peaceful negotiations."
'Conducive to regional peace and development'
In recent days, security analysts have commented that China's growing influence in Southeast Asia could lead to countries, including Malaysia and the Philippines, distancing themselves from the United States.
In Beijing on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry was asked whether the bilateral deals signed with Malaysia represented another effort by China to counteract American influence in East Asia.
"The enhancement of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Malaysia is in line with the two countries' interests and is conducive to regional peace and development," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a news conference, according to a transcript.
"China's development of normal diplomatic relations between countries never targets any third party."


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BENARNEWS- People in Malaysia's Sarawak state will be permitted next year to hunt crocodiles in controlling their population amid a rise in deadly attacks by the reptiles, forestry officials said.
State authorities will permit the hunting and culling of crocodiles in 10 rivers in Sarawak, following a decision by an international wildlife conservation body to allow for the control of the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), whose population has grown to 12,000 in Sarawak's 45 rivers. The hunting and culling of crocs is also allowed if they are seen as threatening property and the peace, according to state law.
Since 2010, as many as 27 locals have been killed in 52 crocodile attacks reported in the densely forested and sparsely populated state on Borneo island. Between the years 2000 and 2009, 19 people died in 43 attacks by crocs.
The new policy is the result of a change in the conservation status of the species' population in Sarawak that falls under a protocol known as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
At a meeting in Johannesburg two months ago, the Conference of Parties – the protocol's supreme decision-making body – decided to down-list and allow the harvesting of saltwater crocodiles in Sarawak. But hunting of the species will be prohibited in other parts of Malaysia.
Sarawak Forestry Department Director Sapuan Ahmad told BenarNews that, starting in 2017, the hunting, killing, and trading and exporting of crocodiles would be permitted in 10 rivers in the state: the Sadong, Sungai Tuang, Batang Kerian, Seblak, Linga, Sebuyau, Batang Lupar, Batang Saribas, Batang Baram and Bakong rivers.
"We expect to sort this out sometime by next year," Sapuan said, adding that the department was finalizing details on and permits on the hunting, killing and trade of locally harvested crocodiles.
In Sarawak, Crocodylus porosus is protected under the Sarawak Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998. Conservation efforts over the last three decades have been blamed for an increase in the number of crocodiles.
A female crocodile can produce 800 eggs, Sapuan said, noting that the species' survival rate is high, and a croc can live to be as old as 100 years.
"Surveys conducted from 2012 to 2014 showed that these rivers had eight to 14 crocodiles for every kilometer, with Batang Lupar having the most," Sapuan said.
Taboo, superstition against killing crocodiles
Ruhana Hassan, the director of the aquatic science department at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, said that the move to harvest crocodiles was a positive one, but that authorities should be mindful of local customs that "killing a crocodile is a taboo one should never break."
"Many... when it comes to crocodiles ... would shy away from killing crocodiles, and they strongly believe that their lives would be in danger once they enter the water," Ruhana told BenarNews.
"This may sound illogical but, many still hold to this belief, and that is why most communities who live along the river in Sarawak would never think of killing or even consuming crocodile meat," Ruhana added.
WWF: harvest plan needed
Meanwhile, the Malaysian chapter of the World Wildlife Fund has called on officials in Sarawak to present a plan on controlling the trade in crocodile skin and parts to ensure that the harvest does not adversely affect the survival of the species and its ecosystem.
"The universal tagging system set out by CITES for skin identification must be detailed and complied with. Before any trade is permitted, a quota should be set and made publicly available to allow for transparency and accountability," WWF-Malaysia Chief Executive Officer Dionysius Sharma said in a statement.
Crocodile researcher Mohd Izwanzulaini Abd Ghani expressed hope that this would be addressed before the hunt begins.
"Indeed we can kill these wild crocodiles, but where are we going to sell them? Will the locals break the taboo and hunt these crocodiles?" he said.


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BENARNEWS- Asian leaders Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump for his stunning win in the U.S. presidential election, but some Muslims in the region were voicing anxiety about the future commander-in-chief who had made provocative comments about Islam while on the campaign trail.
The leaders of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh and India all issued statements welcoming the victory by the real estate tycoon who has never held public office. Trump, who started out as a long shot for the presidency, stormed through to the Republican nomination on a populist platform and upset an odds-on favorite in Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election.
"Donald Trump was considered a distant outsider when his candidacy was first announced. He beat the establishment consensus by winning the Republican nomination, and did so again with his remarkable victory today," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement.
Two years ago, the United States and Malaysia elevated their relationship to "a comprehensive partnership, and we are firm allies in the worldwide fight against terrorism and extremism," Najib said, adding, "we look forward to continuing this partnership under President-elect Trump."
In running for election to the Oval Office, Trump vowed to wipe out the extremist group Islamic State (IS) – which also is seen as a threat to national security in Malaysia and neighboring Indonesia.
"On behalf of the Indonesian government and all the people, I convey my congratulations to president-elect Donald J. Trump," the Jakarta Post quoted Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo as saying on Wednesday evening.
"I invite the U.S. president-elect to continue our diplomatic relationship to create peace and welfare in the world," said Jokowi, the leader of the country that boasts the world's largest Muslim population.
But on the road to being elected 45th president of the United States, Trump angered followers of Islam at home and abroad – including in Indonesia – by calling for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S. following a deadly attack by IS sympathizers in San Bernardino, Calif.
On Wednesday, the leader of the influential Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) warned that Trump's defeat of Clinton had the potential to increase tensions between the U.S. and the Muslim world.
"Before becoming president, he [had] already made negative statements, was cynical, and even his actions [were negative toward Muslims]. I cannot understand in this modern era how there is a person who is exclusive like him," CNN Indonesia quoted Din Syamsuddin, chairman of MUI's advisory board.
Indonesian activist Alijah Dierte expressed similar concerns about Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric as the candidate was on verge of clinching the presidency.
"I'm very afraid, will there be more wars? Will America attack Muslim countries again?" Alijah told Agence France-Presse.
Market jitters
The widely unexpected outcome in the presidential election also fueled uncertainty in Southeast Asian markets.
The Indonesian rupiah and Malaysian ringgit dropped 0.8 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, against the U.S. dollar, and Thailand's stock exchange lost as much as 1.6 percent during the day of trading, according to media reports.
Nonetheless, Thai Prime Minister and junta chief Prayuth Chan-o-cha told reporters in Bangkok on Wednesday that he was offering his congratulations to the winner of the American presidential race.
"We must preserve maximal interests," Prayuth said, noting that Thailand's alliance with the U.S. dated back 183 years.
"We ready ourselves to adapt to changes and adopt pro-active foreign policies and balance ourselves among all partnering countries in the world community," he added.
'Extraordinary leadership'
In South Asia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Trump, whose voters reportedly included a segment of the large Indian-American immigrant community.
"We appreciate the friendship you have articulated towards India during your campaign," Modi said on Twitter.
"We look forward to working with you closely to take India-U.S. bilateral ties to a new height."
In neighboring Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other government officials also congratulated Donald Trump and running mate Mike Pence.
"Your victory in the U.S. presidential election is certainly a testimony to your extraordinary leadership qualities [for] serving the American people and also ... humanity," Hasina said in inviting the president-elect and his wife, soon-to-be first lady Melania Trump, to visit Bangladesh.
Tia Asmara and Ari Firdaus in Jakarta, Razlan Rashid in Kuala Lumpur, Pimuk Rakkanam in Bangkok, and Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Dhaka contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia and the Philippines agreed Thursday to increase cooperation against kidnappings by Abu Sayyaf militants and other security threats along their shared maritime borders, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said after holding talks here with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Najib, who hosted the new Philippine president during his first official trip to Malaysia, said Duterte had granted permission for Malaysian ships to enter his country's waters during hot pursuits of kidnappers.
"I am pleased to announce the signing of an exchange of notes between our governments on establishing a framework for cooperation in tackling the issue of kidnap for ransom and other security issues along our sea borders," Najib said in statement released Thursday.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr confirmed that the two countries agreed to establish "stricter security cooperation on sea borders," among other issues of mutual concern, the Philippine Star reported.
"The prime minister was just as concerned as we are. There is much to be done in terms of cooperation," Yasay told the Star, referring to the prospect of hot-pursuit operations by either nation's military or police forces.
The seas that separate the southern Philippines from the close-by Malaysian state of Sabah have been plagued this year with kidnappings of Malaysian and Indonesian sailors off ships sailing in those waters.
Ten Malaysians have been kidnapped to date in 2016, and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is holding six of them hostage as it reportedly demands ransom money for their release. Over the weekend, two Indonesian sailors were abducted by gunmen in waters off Sabah.
For months officials from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have talked about mounting joint patrols aimed at safeguarding the Sulu and Celebes seas from piracy and kidnappings, but have yet to implement the plan.
"If we're chasing the bad guys, for example, and we reach the international maritime boundaries with the Philippines, if we were to stop, the bad guys will get away," Najib told a news conference in Putrajaya after his meeting with Duterte, who was on a two-day visit to Malaysia.
"So we must continue pursuing them and if possible, interdict them ... but the moment we reach the international maritime boundaries with the Philippines, we have to inform the Philippine Navy, they will be informed that we are entering Philippines waters and they will also try to be assisting us," Najib added.
Hot pursuits could begin as soon as defense ministers establish standard operating procedures (SOP), Najib said Thursday, according to state news agency Bernama. Indonesia's defense minister will join his Malaysian and Philippine counterparts in Laos on Nov. 22 to discuss the SOP and legal aspects involved in such pursuits involving all three countries, Bernama reported.
"This new development is a practical way to helping each other because we really need to stamp out the kidnappings affecting the security and welfare, not only for Sabahans but also foreigners who are visiting us," Najib said.
Azmi Hassan, an analyst at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), said the agreement that both sides struck on Thursday reflected Duterte's resolve in putting an end to kidnappings carried out by Abu Sayyaf.
"This means Philippine waters will be penetrated by Malaysian and Indonesia militaries. That's why this development shows the seriousness of President Duterte," Azmi told BenarNews.
Malaysia as peace monitor
During their meeting Najib and Duterte also agreed that Malaysia would no longer serve as a facilitator in peace talks between the Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, but would continue to monitor efforts in the southern Philippines, Najib said.
In August, weeks after Duterte took office, Malaysia facilitated talks in Kuala Lumpur on implementing a stalled southern Philippine peace deal between Manila and MILF. At the meeting Philippine government representatives and a MILF delegation began negotiating a new version of a law associated with the deal, which was signed in 2014.
It has been held up because the Philippine Senate did not take up the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), whose passage was needed to implement the deal, before former President Benigno Aquino III left office.
"The peace process will move forward and we will continue with our monitoring team there. They do not require a facilitator since there are no more negotiations," Najib said. "It is more due process and it is more internal domestic matter."


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BENARNEWS- A Malaysian court Monday sentenced an opposition leader to 18 months in jail for leaking part of a classified audit report about scandal-tainted state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
After finding Mohd Rafizi Ramli of the People's Justice Party (PKR) guilty of two charges – unauthorized possession of the report and exposing it to the media – the Kuala Lumpur Sessions court granted a stay of the sentence, pending an appeal. Judge Zulqarnain Hassan sentenced Rafizi to serve concurrent 18-month sentences for each conviction over the leak.
Rafizi, an MP who serves as the party's vice president and secretary-general, had pleaded not guilty on April 8 following his arrest outside parliament three days earlier. The PKR party was founded by former deputy prime minister and jailed de-facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
"Sad day for Malaysian democracy – those who defend the people's interest and public good are treated in this way," PKR spokesman Fahmi Fadzil wrote on Twitter.
In October, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report regarding Rafizi's arrest, claiming he was investigating the government's alleged failure to make pension payments to retired veterans. He also challenged the government to confirm that the army fund's investments in 1MDB did not affect its ability to make payments.
Rafizi claimed he had received a document from the auditor-general's report that supports his concern that 1MDB owed money to the fund, according to HRW.
Rafizi displayed the document at a news conference on March 28, but did not provide copies to reporters. A week later, police arrested Rafizi and charged him with violating the Official Secrets Act.
The auditor general's report on 1MDB is classified under Malaysia's Official Secrets Act.
Abdul Rahman Dahlan, communications director for the ruling Barisan Nasional Coalition, said Rafizi tried "a cheap stunt for personal political gain, but he knowingly committed a serious crime in doing so. It is right that he pays the price and he has only himself to blame."
On Monday, New York-based Human Rights Watch called for Rafizi's conviction to be overturned.
"The conviction of opposition MP Rafizi Ramli under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) is an unprecedented, rights abusing use of this act which can have only one purpose: to intimidate whistle-blowers into silence over the 1MDB corruption scandal," Phil Robertson, HRW's deputy Asia director, said in a statement.
"No one should forget that this is all about the Auditor General's annual report, which in years previous has been treated as a public document after its submission to Parliament."
1MDB has been at the heart of a corruption scandal that has plagued Prime Minister Najib Razak since July 2015 when news reports emerged that nearly U.S. $700 million linked to the fund had been deposited into his private bank accounts in 2013. Investigations over claims of money laundering and embezzlement are ongoing in Malaysia and several other countries.
In January, Malaysia's attorney general cleared Najib of any wrongdoing despite calls for his resignation. The prime minister has denied wrongdoing or taking any of the 1MDB-linked money for personal gain.
No regrets
Rafizi, 39, said he was not surprised by the verdict, but urged his supporters to remain calm – adding he "wouldn't have done it in any other way.
"Do not despair. I do not have a single regret and the most peaceful thing in life is knowing you did the right thing," he said.
In the court room, Deputy Public Prosecutor Shukor Abu Bakar said "laws are to be respected. If an MP like [Rafizi] acted this way, then how do you expect the public to react?"
Despite his conviction and sentence, Rafizi would not lose his parliament seat representing the Pandan constituency at this point because has not exhausted his right to appeal, said Gobind Singh Deo, Rafizi's attorney.
The federal constitution states that an MP is disqualified if sentenced to jail for a year or more or fined at least 2,000 ringgit (U.S. $460) and has not received a pardon.
Chilling effect
Lawyers for Liberty, a human rights and law reform group, called the sentence "harsh and excessive" since Rafizi was performing his duties as an elected representative.
"The conviction and sentence will create a dangerous chill on free speech and result in a more repressive, opaque and unaccountable government," executive director Eric Paulsen said in a statement.
Paulsen questioned why the report was suddenly classified as an "official secret" when normally it is presented in parliament and made available to the public.
"While the world is moving toward more openness, transparency and accountability in the conduct of government affairs, it is quite deplorable how the authorities were so quick to punish whistle-blowers like Rafizi while taking little or no action against the massive corruption and abuse of power exposed by the 1MDB scandal," he said.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia's police chief warned Tuesday that officers would resort to anti-riot measures if violence broke out during a rally being planned for this weekend in Kuala Lumpur by a grassroots coalition that advocates clean government.
The weeks leading up to the Bersih 5.0 rally scheduled for Saturday have been tense, with people voicing fears that a violent confrontation could take place between yellow-clad protestors calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak over corruption allegations and so-called Red Shirts who support his United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party.
"I would like to repeat this – all parties should follow the rule of law. Don't get angry at us if we take steps against those who don't obey the law," Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar said, warning that officers could fire tear gas and use water cannon if things got out of hand.
Some standoffs between the two groups have already occurred in the run-up to the rally organized by Bersih, a coalition of NGOs advocating transparent government, as Bersih activists have campaigned nationwide to drum up support among rural Malaysians for the big demonstration in the capital on Nov. 19. The countryside is where UMNO draws much of its support.
Last year's rally, which was dubbed Bersih 4.0 and also called for Najib's resignation, drew 200,000 protesters to downtown Kuala Lumpur, organizers said.
The Bersih movement wants Najib to step down over allegations of corruption tied to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The prime minister has faced calls for his resignation following news reports in July 2015 that nearly U.S. $700 million in 1MDB-linked money wound up in his private bank accounts.
"We have planted the seed. The seed where people actually start to ask what [the] 1MDB scandal is all about," Bersih chairwoman Maria Chin Abdullah told Agence France-Presse. "Why is it that we're questioning the prime minister having 2.6 billion ringgit in his personal account and doesn't need to even account for it."
'Law will be enforced without exception'
Najib, who has denied any wrongdoing, this week claimed he was the first to order investigations into 1MDB.
"Malaysian authorities have actually led the way in investigations into 1MDB. It was I who first instructed multiple authorities in Malaysia to conduct investigations," Najib told the Nikkei Asian Review on Monday.
" have always made clear that full cooperation should be extended to any investigation provided it is in accordance with the laws of our country. Furthermore, as I have consistently stated, if any wrongdoing is proven, the law will be enforced without exception," he said.
The Red Shirts, led by Jamal Md Yunos, an UMNO division chief, have appeared at some of the rallies leading up to the Nov. 19 demonstration to challenge the message being promoted by Bersih.
In a text message to BenarNews, Jamal said, "lawan tetap lawan" – (the fight is still on), when reminded of Khalid's warning.
Last month, Jamal was taken into custody by police over allegations of that he threatened to incite race riots in multi-ethnic Malaysia if Bersih, a racially diverse coalition, went ahead with the rally. Members of Malaysia's ethnic Malay majority dominate UMNO's ranks.
Businesses prepare for rally
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Zakhir Hussin [Shuman Vasu/BenarNews]
Meanwhile, owners and workers at businesses in central Kuala Lumpur were looking forward to profiting from the upcoming rally, which will attract many potential customers to the area.
Zakhir Hussin, who owns an eatery there, said he had never encountered problems during past Bersih rallies.
"In fact, business booms during the rally. More people drop by to have food and drinks, and they have never created any issues," he told BenarNews.
Still, he had some concerns for Saturday.
"Personally, I don't have any problem with the Yellow Shirts. However, this time around I'm afraid there might be clashes if the Red Shirts also turn up. ... That would definitely spell trouble," Zakhir told BenarNews, adding that he would be open for business on Saturday.


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BENARNEWS- In his first public comments about an upcoming rally calling for his resignation, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said protests were not part of his country's culture and suggested that his critics could only remove him through the ballot box.
At the end of a three-day visit to Japan, Najib spoke about the Bersih 5.0 rally being planned in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. A huge crowd of yellow-shirted protestors is expected to march and demand that he step down over corruption allegations linked to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
A counter-protest is being planned for the same day in the Malaysian capital by the so-called Red Shirts, a group of activists who support Najib's United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party. Malaysian authorities have warned that they will crack down if any violence breaks out between the two groups or during their respective rallies.
"We have seen this happening in many countries. Even the so-called Arab Spring was heralded as an era of change, but instead it caused misery to the people in the countries concerned," he said Wednesday night at the end of a three-day visit to Japan, The Star reported. In 2011, a series of anti-government protests that led to peaceful ouster of some dictators swept across North Africa and the Middle East, and came to be known as the Arab Spring.
Bersih, a coalition of NGOs that advocate transparent government, is known for the yellow shirts worn by its supporters, and has staged massive rallies in each of the past four years. Last year's edition, Bersih 4.0 rally, which also called for Najib's resignation over 1MDB, drew more than 100,000 people to Kuala Lumpur over two days. Organizers expect a similarly sized crowd for this year's one-day rally.
"The best time is to decide when the time comes. There will be an election and people can make their choice and we will abide by the decision of the rakyat [people]. And that's important," Najib said, referring to Malaysia's 14th general election, which is due in June 2018, state news agency Bernama quoted him as saying in Tokyo.
During the weeks leading up to Saturday's Bersih rally, standoffs have taken place between the groups activists as Bersih members have campaigned nationwide to mobilize support among rural Malaysians for the demonstration in the capital.
Najib, who has denied any wrongdoing in a face of 1MDB-linked allegations against him, also expressed concerns about possible clashes between the two groups on Saturday, saying that street protests were "not an accepted culture in our country."
"I don't want any physical clashes," he told Bernama.
'Police will not compromise'
Malaysia's Peaceful Assembly Act of 2012 allows for peaceful public assemblies without permits. This year, Bersih submitted the required 10-day notice to several police headquarters in the Kuala Lumpur area.
City government officials, however, have submitted a letter requesting that no groups enter the proposed rally area near City Hall.
On Thursday, Malaysian Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar declared both of the rallies being planned for Saturday as illegal, saying that the groups should find different venues.
According to Bernama, Khalid said that both of the planned rallies "did not meet legal provisions, especially the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012."
Two days earlier, he had warned that police officers would use tear gas and water cannons, if violence broke out at the rallies.
Also on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi – who is the home minister as well – issued a final warning, stating that "both parties should call off their rallies" or face action.
"The police will not compromise in terms of action that will be taken against them under the law," Zahid told reporters.
In a text message to BenarNews, Jamal Md Yunos, the leader of the Red Shirts, vowed to carry on with the counter-protest.
"If yellow turns up, the red will definitely, too," he told BenarNews via a text message, in response to Zahid's warning.
'Part of our right to dissent'
In response to Najib's comments, Bersih chairwoman Maria Chin Abdullah said that demonstrations and street protests had always been part of the Malaysian culture and dated back to the nation's pre-independence years.
"UMNO would not have survived if they had not gone to the streets. If you remember how we gained independence, we were on the streets. It is part of our right to dissent. So street demonstrations have also been part of our culture," she told a press conference.


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BENARNEWS- A massive protest highlighting Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's alleged involvement in a corruption scandal was to go ahead Saturday in Kuala Lumpur despite the arrest of the leader of the movement and a dozen politicians and activists, organizers said.
The leader of a pro-government group that was planning a simultaneous counter-protest in the Malaysian capital was also arrested early Saturday (local time).
Jamal Md Yunos, leader of the so-called Red Shirts, was picked up at 1:30 a.m. in Shah Alam, Selangor state, and taken to a local police station, according to his group, which is aligned with Najib's United Malays National Organization (UMNO). The reason for Jamal's arrest was not immediately known.
Bersih Chairwoman Maria Chin Abdullah was being investigated for alleged activities "detrimental to parliamentary democracy," following her Friday afternoon arrest at the Bersih offices in Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur, representatives of her group said in a statement.
Mandeep Singh, the manager of Bersih's secretariat, was also arrested, and was being investigated under Section 147 of the country's criminal code that touches on rioting, after police raided the coalition's offices, Bersih officials said.
"BERSIH 5 will go on as planned and we hope that this heavy-handed action on the part of the authorities will spur Malaysians into coming down to the streets tomorrow not just to demand for institutional reforms but to protest injustices happening in the country," their statement said.
Bersih officials condemned the raid and the arrests "as a blatant abuse of power and pure harassment," adding that "no warrant or legitimate reason for the raid and arrests could be provided."
Chin and Singh were held at jails in the Kuala Lumpur area overnight and were to be produced in a court on Saturday, where police will seek to remand them, Melissa Sasidran, a lawyer for the two, told BenarNews.
"We are waiting for the update from the police on the matter," she said.
Late Friday, Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Amar Singh Ishar Singh and Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar did not respond to requests from BenarNews seeking information about the arrests.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized Friday's arrests of Chin, Singh and others associated with the Bersih rally.
"These arrests on trumped up charges are all about trying to decapitate the Bersih 5 movement on the eve of the rally by making sure that key leaders will be in jail rather than on the street tomorrow," Phil Robertson, HRW's deputy Asia director, told BenarNews via email.
"If anything is undermining parliamentary democracy, it's been the Malaysian government's rights abusing actions to block people from exercising their rights to free expression and public assembly, and criminalizing those who continue to demand reform and accountability from government leaders."
Malaysiakini editor charged
According to a list published by online news portal Malaysiakini, the arrestees included Anthony Loke, an MP with the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP), Ronny Liu, a DAP activist and former Selangor Exco member, and S. Arutchelvan, a committee member of Malaysia's Socialist Party (PSM).
Malaysiakini identified one of the other arrestees as Razali Zakaria, a member of the Red Shirts. According to the New Straits Times Online, another Red-Shirt activist, Ariffin Abu Bakar (alias Ayah Ipin Keramat) was among those into custody on Friday.
Earlier Friday, the editor-in-chief of Malaysiakini was charged with four counts of violating the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for airing videos about a corruption scandal surrounding Najib linked to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Editor Steven Gan pleaded not guilty to the charges at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Friday.
'Their struggle is false'
The 1MDB scandal is at the heart of the rally by Bersih, a grassroots coalition of NGOs that advocate transparency in government and free and fair elections.
Najib has denied allegations that he personally benefitted from nearly U.S. $700 million in 1MDB-linked money that was deposited into his private bank accounts.
On Thursday, Khalid had declared both the Bersih and Red-Shirt rallies illegal, and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi warned the groups to cancel their planned demonstrations.
According to state news agency Bernama, Khalid said that both of the planned rallies "did not meet legal provisions, especially the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012."
The authorities were planning to deploy 7,000 police around Saturday's rallies and were preparing to crack down on any outbreaks of violence between the Red Shirts and the yellow-shirted Bersih activists, according to the New Straits Times.
On his personal website, the prime minister lashed out Friday at Bersih, which has organized four other massive rallies in Kuala Lumpur, with the first taking place in November 2007.
"The opposition parties use an NGO, which purportedly does not favor any political party and fights corruption, to pressure the government through rallies," he said in a blog post.
"Is it not very clear that their struggle is false and the rally is just a movement of opposition parties hiding behind a so-called non-partisan NGO to fight a government elected by the people?" Najib added.


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BENARNEWS- Thousands of yellow-clad Malaysian protestors rallied Saturday in downtown Kuala Lumpur, where they called for upholding parliamentary democracy and criticized the rule of a prime minister clouded by corruption allegations.

The Bersih 5 rally took place although the leader of the grassroots movement as well as several other organizers and supporters were arrested ahead of the demonstration, and some scuffles and confrontations with activists from a pro-government group occurred during the day. 

At least 13 people were taken into custody in pre-rally arrests on Friday and early Saturday, including the leader of the so-called Red Shirts, an activist group that supports the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the party of Prime Minister Najib Razak. 

Eight more people were reported arrested on Saturday, including three opposition politicians who were being investigated under laws that prohibit the incitement of riots. 

As Bersih protestors marched toward the venue for the rally, police barricades blocked them from accessing Independence Square, a symbolic spot in the Malaysian capital where they had intended to rally. Instead, they changed course and staged their demonstration in front of an iconic Kuala Lumpur landmark, the twin skyscrapers of the Petronas Towers (pictured below).

The number of Bersih protestors who turned out ranged from 10,000 to 40,000, according to news reports, but Kuala Lumpur police put their number at 15,500.

"We will stop here. The crowd is so big and we cannot afford to allow people to get hurt. This is already a feat," former Bersih chairperson Ambiga Sreenivasan told a crowd of protestors at one of the barricades along the approaches to the square. All roads leading there were cordoned off and guarded by thousands of police and anti-riot personnel.

At the plaza outside the towers, thousands in the crowd sat and chanted slogans, which called for Najib to resign over a corruption scandal tied to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Najib has denied allegations of wrongdoing over nearly U.S. $700 million in 1MDB-linked money deposited into his bank accounts in 2013. On Friday, the prime minister flew abroad to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru. 

At the rally held under monsoonal clouds, people chanted "Hidup Rakyat!" ("long live the people"), as opposition leaders and other speakers took turns at the microphone.    

"This is what is called undermining democracy. It is not Bersih who is stopping democracy, but the government," former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Najib's fiercest critic, told the crowd, referring to the barricades near Independence Square. 

"This is not against democratic principles. This is Malaysia, and it belongs to all of us," former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, whom Najib sacked last year for criticizing him in public about 1MDB, said when it came to him to speak.

The Bersih rally ended at 5:30 p.m.
'Most Malaysians are keeping quiet'
The Red Shirts had threatened to mobilize some 300,000 of their members for a simultaneous counter-protest in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, but Malaysian authorities on Thursday declared the two rallies illegal, warning both groups to cancel them. According to police, only 2,500 Red Shirts showed up on Saturday.

Zainuri Zainal, the chief of the youth wing for the Red Shirts, nonetheless declared the group's presence on Saturday a success, saying they had helped prevent the Bersih people from accessing Independence Square.

"They know we are here to 'control' and to stop them, and we have managed to do that. We are here to help the police," he said. 

On the other side, the rally by Bersih was far smaller than the one it had staged over two days last year, in which some 200,000 protestors converged on Kuala Lumpur to protest against the 1MDB scandal. Bersih is a coalition of Malaysian NGOs, whose supporters wear yellow T-shirts and advocate transparent government, free and fair elections, institutional reforms to strengthen parliamentary democracy and the right to dissent, among other causes.

"A million will only turn up when their stomachs are getting empty. I'm sad. Most Malaysians are keeping quiet," a retired army officer, who took part in Saturday's Bersih rally and requested anonymity, told BenarNews.

Two days earlier, Malaysia's Chief Secretary to the Government, Ali Hamsa, had warned the nation's 1.6 million civil servants to stay away from Saturday's protests or face disciplinary action, including termination or pay cuts, reports said.
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Pro-government Red Shirts march in the Malaysian capital, Nov. 19, 2016. [Muzliza Mustafa/BenarNews]
More arrests

On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi amplified the government's warning that it would act sternly toward organizers of the two protests. 

"There is no issue of abuse of power because those arrested do not come from one side. More will be arrested," state news agency Bernama quoted Zahid as saying.

In the evening, the chief of Kuala Lumpur police announced that six people were arrested during the protests. Three were being investigated for attempting to incite rioting, including Armand Azha Abu Hanifah, a leader of the Red Shirts and official from UMNO's youth office, and Howard Lee Chuan How, an assemblyman from the opposition Democratic Action Party.

Among the others, one was arrested for flying a drone during the Bersih rally, a second man was arrested for carrying a machete and brass knuckles, and a third was picked up for attacking a Bersih supporter, Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Amar Singh Ishar Singh said in a statement.

"As of 6 p.m., the situation in Kuala Lumpur, especially at Independence Square, is under control with protestors having dispersed," he said.

Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar, who praised the police force for maintaining law and order on Saturday through messages posted on Twitter, could not be reached for comment about all the arrests related to the protests.

Late on Saturday night, two senior leaders of the opposition People's Justice Party (PKR) were arrested at their homes in connection with the Bersih rally, including PKR Vice President Tian Chua, The Star newspaper reported.

Earlier in the day, a court remanded Jamal Md Yunos, the firebrand leader of the Red Shirts, to four days in police custody as part of an investigation into an alleged skirmish that he had with police officers on Nov. 13 during an incident involving MP Zuraida Kamaruddin, one of the two PKR officials picked up on Saturday night.

Apart from Bersih chairwoman Maria Chin Abudullah, who was picked up on Friday, the 11 others, who were also arrested before the rallies took place, including two other Red Shirt activists, were all remanded Saturday to four days in police custody, local media reported.

As for the leader of Bersih, who was initially arrested on suspicion of alleged activities deemed "detrimental to parliamentary democracy," she was now being investigated under the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA), which could allow police to hold her for 28 days without charges, according to Lawyers for Liberty, a local NGO. 

"We are shocked and appalled by this abuse of power," Lawyers for Liberty tweeted on Saturday.
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[Hadi Azmi/BenarNews]


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BENARNEWS- Supporters of a coalition advocating clean government began holding candlelight vigils Monday for its leader, who is being held in solitary confinement after her arrest on the eve of a massive protest she had spearheaded against Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.The Bersih coalition will hold nightly vigils for chairwoman Maria Chin Abdullah in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur until she is released from police custody, activists with the group vowed on Facebook.

Chin, who was arrested on Friday under Malaysia's Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA), could be held up for up to 28 days without charges, Chin's lawyers and supporters said. 

On Monday night, Bersih officials announced that her lawyers would seek a Habeas Corpus writ in court seeking that she be produced before a judge in hopes of securing her lawful release. 

"We're doing all we can to get Maria released as soon as possible. Our lawyers have been working round-the-clock and, tomorrow, they will file a Habeas Corpus application in court," the Bersih activists said.
Chin was among at least 24 rally organizers and Bersih supporters who were arrested under various sections of Malaysia's criminal code ahead of the Bersih 5 demonstration, a group of six NGOs said in a joint letter issued Monday that called for Malaysia to drop all charges and free the activists. 

According to the NGOs, at least another 14 Bersih supporters were arrested during and after the demonstration on Saturday, when tens of thousands of people marched and rallied in Kuala Lumpur to voice their criticism of the prime minister who has been linked to corruption allegations. 

"These arrests violate international human rights standards. The Malaysia government should release all those arrested in connection with the Bersih 5 rallies immediately," said the letter, co-signed by Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, Fortify Rights, Forum Asia, the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development and the Southeast Asian Press Alliance.
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This man didn't wear a yellow T-shirt, but he was creative in showing his support for Bersih. [Hadi Azmi/BenarNews]
Solitary confinement
Except for Chin, many were released after 48 hours in custody, the NGOs said, but they added that authorities had also arrested leaders of pro-government groups known as the Red Shirts and Black Shirts. They had staged simultaneous counter-rallies against Bersih but in much smaller numbers, according to reports. Jamal Md Yunos and Ariffin Abu Bakar, the leaders of these respective groups, were still in custody late Monday, reports said.

The NGOs commented in detail on the arrest and detention of Maria Chin Abdullah.

"This is the first case where government authorities used SOSMA against a civil society representative. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years' imprisonment," they wrote.

Citing her lawyers, the NGOs noted that they had been denied access to Chin during the first two days of her custody and that she was being kept in solitary confinement.

"Her lawyers later on reported that Maria Chin Abdullah is being kept in a 15 feet by 8 feet windowless cell with no bed, concrete floors, and with two light bulbs kept on for 24 hours a day," the NGOs said.

'Deceitful'

The police had declared the rallies being planned for Saturday illegal, and deployed thousands of officers to guard barricades and block roads leading to Independence Square – the intended rallying site for Bersih, a coalition of local NGOs that advocate transparent government and free and fair elections. The rally was largely peaceful and culminated in front of the iconic Petronas Towers.

Bersih activists have also called for the prime minister to resign over allegations of corruption linked to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which he has denied.
On Friday, Najib called the activists "a tool of the opposition" on his personal website.
"Their movement is deceitful. It is clear that these street protests are in fact the Opposition disguised as an independent NGO working to unseat a democratically-elected government," Najib said.
"The silent majority of people are fed up with the tactics of the Opposition. They just want the Government to deliver for them, and that is what my team and I will continue to do."
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Pro-government Red Shirts hold a protest countering the Bersih 5 rally in Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 19, 2016. [Muzliza Mustafa/BenarNews]


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia's police chief Wednesday denied allegations that the leader of a coalition advocating clean government and electoral reforms has been mistreated in solitary confinement, but confirmed that Maria Chin Abdullah was arrested for activities deemed detrimental to parliamentary democracy.
Chin, the chairwoman of the Bersih coalition, was arrested on Nov. 18 because of documents discovered during a raid at Bersih's offices that day, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said.
Chin was taken into custody on the eve of a massive rally in Kuala Lumpur that she and other activists were organizing to highlight Prime Minister Najib Razak's alleged involvement in a corruption scandal known as the 1MDB affair, which he has denied.
"She was detained because what we found threatens national security," Khalid told a news conference, declining to divulge the contents of the documents as he cited an ongoing investigation.
Since her arrest, Chin has received sufficient medical attention, Khalid said as he defended himself against criticism from a group of NGOs. In a joint letter, they called for her release and alleged that she was being kept in solitary confinement in a small, windowless cell with lights on all the time.
"The doctor also had visited her three times since her detention," Khalid said, adding that a doctor was on standby for any emergency.
On Tuesday Chin received a visit from the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), led by Razali Ismail. He said Chin appeared to be in good health and her cell was acceptable in terms of cleanliness.
"The so-called bed has no mattress and she has to wash with cold water. She indicated that she would like a mattress at the very least to cushion the discomfort of the wooden bed.
"Chin has also requested a copy of the Quran and reading materials, as well as to be able to see her children and family," Razali said about the 90-minute visit, in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Khalid said Chin did not make a request but that police would provide those items if such a request were made.
Arrest linked to documents
Chin was arrested under Malaysia's Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA), which allow authorities to hold her for 28 days without charges, Khalid confirmed.
"SOSMA can be used not only for counterterrorism but also for human trafficking as well as offenses that can threaten the national security," Khalid said, defending the arrest.
Chin was among at least 24 rally organizers and supporters from Bersih along with counter rally group Red Shirts who were arrested prior to, during and after the Bersih 5 rally. All others have been released.
Jamal Md Yunos, the leader of the pro-government Red Shirts, and three activists from his group were released on police bail on Tuesday.
"SUHAKAM continues to hold the position that Maria Chin Abdullah is unjustifiably incarcerated and would like to reiterate that in accordance with Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile," Razali said, adding Chin has been interrogated for three hours since her arrest.
Since Monday, hundreds of Malaysians have participated in vigils at Kuala Lumpur's Independence Square, demanding Chin's release. Rallies will be held each night until she is free, a Bersih official said.
Police probe OSF links
Meanwhile, police are investigating Bersih's possible links to the Open Society Foundations (OSF) funded by George Soros. Khalid said Chin had admitted to receiving funds from OSF.
"It's not like we do not know OSF's track record. How many countries have they toppled," Khalid said without releasing any details.
Chin admitted that her group had received a grant of $70,000 ringgit (U.S. $15,750) from OSF between 2010 and 2011, but OSF denied Khalid's charges, the Asia Sentinel reported.
"The Open Society Foundations are proud to have supported civil society in Malaysia for 10 years. Claims that the Open Society Foundations funded attempts to overthrow the government in Malaysia are entirely false," the group said in a statement emailed to the South China Morning Post.


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BENARNEWS- Police in the Malaysian state of Penang on Saturday arrested satirical cartoonist Zunar for investigation under the country's Sedition Act and confiscated an exhibit of his artwork.
The cartoonist, a BenarNews contributor, is already facing a travel ban imposed in June and nine sedition charges for allegedly insulting the judiciary in tweets made regarding former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's conviction in a sodomy case in February 2015.
"I can confirm Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque – @Cartoonist Zunar, 54 – [has] been arrested at the North East district police headquarters," Assistant Commissioner Mior Faridalatrash Wahid told reporters in a WhatsApp message.
He added that the arrest was carried out under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948 and for breaching the peace under Section 504 of the Penal Code with an exhibit opened the day before.
In a statement Zunar said he was being held at police district headquarters in Penang's capital, George Town, and that police had confiscated "all my public exhibition artwork. Remand order will only be known tomorrow."
Group storms exhibit
On Friday, a three-day exhibit of Zunar's artwork was abruptly cancelled for security reasons, police said, three hours after Penang Chief Minister and opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng launched the event.
A group of some 30 people led by Penang state's UMNO Youth chief Rafizal Abdul Rahim stormed the venue at Komtar – a skyscraper that also houses a shopping mall and state government headquarters – at about 2.45 p.m. and demanded Zunar remove his drawings.
The United Malays National Organization (UMNO) of Prime Minister Najib Razak is part of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition that has been in power since 1957.
Malaysian media outlet MalaysiaKini reported that punches were thrown at Zunar and some members of the group grabbed his collar during the commotion.
UMNO Youth division chief Mohd Norhiesam Ismail subsequently lodged a police report, accusing Zunar of "disturbing the peace of Malaysians" through his cartoons.
Zunar's lawyer R.S.N. Rayer said Zunar would be taken to George Town Magistrate's Court on Sunday where police can apply to hold him for questioning without charges for up to 14 days.
"He is alright. He is in high spirits," he told BenarNews.
Zunar had been summoned to the police station for investigation over Friday's incident and upon arrival he was arrested, Rayer said.
The police later took Zunar back to the exhibit venue, where they seized his artwork, he said.
Zunar had held a similar exhibit in Petaling Jaya, Selangor from Sept. 3 to 10 without incident.
The subjects, Zunar said, included the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) financial scandal, the jailing of Anwar, the Goods and Services Tax (GST), corruption, the Sedition Act, as well as Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor.
Najib has denied allegations of wrongdoing over nearly U.S. $700 million in 1MDB-linked money deposited into his bank accounts in 2013.
'Mob rule'
An opposition lawmaker who was with Zunar at the police station expressed concern that civil society voices were being suppressed in Malaysia.
"It is like we are going with mob rule. It is as if they feel so threatened by a man with a pen," Sim Tze Tzin, a People's Justice Party (PKR) MP from Penang's Bayan Baru, told BenarNews.
Sim said it was an irony that the cartoonist was being investigated for alleged sedition and disturbing the peace after receiving the 2016 Cartooning for Peace Award from former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan in Geneva in May.
A month later, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar ordered a travel ban on Zunar, according to an immigration official. Zunar learned of it when he tried to board a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore on Oct. 17.
"This is like what happened to Maria (Chin Abdullah)," Sim said, referring to the Bersih chairwoman who is being detained under Malaysia's Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, or SOSMA, a law introduced in 2012 to fight security and extremist threats.
Chin was arrested on November 18, a day before the pro-democracy Bersih 5 rally that brought tens of thousands to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to call for upholding parliamentary democracy and criticize the corruption allegations surrounding Najib.
Malaysia's Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar on Wednesday denied allegations that Chin had been mistreated in solitary confinement, but confirmed that she was arrested because documents found during a raid of her office "threaten national security."
Zunar has been jailed twice before, for two days in September 2010 and for three days in February 2015. Five of his books have been banned and thousands confiscated from his office in Kuala Lumpur, he told BenarNews last year.
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Zunar discusses one of his cartoons at an outdoor exhibit of his work in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Sept. 3, 2016. [Haireez Azeem Azizi/Benar News].


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian authorities have released cartoonist Zunar after arresting him for alleged sedition over an exhibit of his drawings in Penang state.
Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, whose pen name is Zunar, was released on bail Sunday evening after a court rejected a police application to hold him for four days for questioning. The court instead granted a one-day remand. The satirical cartoonist is a BenarNews contributor.
Assistant Commissioner Mior Faridalatrash Wahid, who heads the North East district police headquarters in Penang, told BenarNews "the probe is still ongoing."
Zunar, who is also facing an investigation for breaching the peace through his artwork, was told to report back to police in Penang on Dec. 27, when his bail expires.
"It is possible that new charges will be filed against me. That will make it my 10th sedition charge," he told BenarNews.
The winner of the 2016 Cartooning for Peace Award is facing nine sedition charges for allegedly insulting the judiciary in tweets made regarding the conviction of former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in a sodomy case in February 2015. Zunar has been under a travel ban since June.
Police said Zunar was arrested on Saturday under Section 4(1)(c) of Malaysia's Sedition Act and for breaching the peace under Section 504 of the Penal Code over an exhibit that opened Friday in Penang's capital, George Town.
Sedition ruling
The arrests occurred a day after a three-judge Court of Appeals panel ruled that Section 3(3) of the 1948 Sedition Act violated Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees the right to free speech.
The ruling, in a case not involving Zunar, means that prosecutors must prove intent when charging a person with sedition, lawyers said. Prior to the ruling, prosecutors had to prove only that the offending statement was made.
"It is a victory for the constitution of Malaysia and Article 10 is a victory for the people who, in a democracy, have the right to speak freely as long as they do not infringe – as long as they do not call for violence and such things," Lawyer N. Surendran, who represented Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei in the successful challenge, told reporters in Putrajaya following the decision, according to a YouTube video.
Lawyer Ramkarpal Singh, who represents Zunar, said the ruling affects all pending sedition cases.
"It is a positive development, but the outcome remains to be seen. The Federal Court may overturn the decision, but I hope it won't come to that when this is a step in the right direction," he told BenarNews.
Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali, meanwhile, announced that the government would appeal the ruling, according to a report by Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
UMNO protest
Planned to run three days, Zunar's exhibit was cancelled for security reasons three hours after it opened on Friday after a group of about 30 people, led by the Penang State leader of the youth wing of the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party, demanded that the drawings be removed.
Zunar was summoned to the police station on Saturday as officers investigated the incident, and, upon arrival, was arrested, according to his lawyer, R.S.N. Rayer.
The police later took Zunar back to the exhibit venue, where they seized his artwork.
"I think this is strange. Others think so too. I was the victim, but I was the one arrested. Was it all part of some agenda, some script? That is how I see it," Zunar told BenarNews.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian authorities Monday freed the leader of a coalition advocating clean government after holding her for 10 days under one of the country's tough national security laws and despite international criticism over her arrest.
Following her release, Bersih chairwoman Maria Chin Abdullah described how police officers had blindfolded her as they escorted her each morning to hours-long interrogations over her grassroots movement and its connection to a U.S.-based NGO.
She also called her arrest under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) – which allows for up to 28 days of detention without charges – illegal.
"We will take legal action against my unlawful detention," she said in a statement.
Chin was arrested on the eve of a mass protest that she and other Bersih activists were organizing in Kuala Lumpur for Nov. 19 to highlight Prime Minister Najib Razak's alleged involvement in a corruption scandal, which he has denied.
Last week Malaysian Police Inspector General Khalid Abu Bakar told a news conference that Chin was being investigated for activities deemed detrimental to parliamentary democracy and a threat to national security.
Khalid did not elaborate then but said Chin was arrested because of documents found during a raid at the Bersih offices in Kuala Lumpur, and that police were investigating possible links to the Open Society Foundations (OSF) funded by George Soros.
On Monday, Khalid declined to comment on Chin's release, telling BenarNews he would soon convene another press conference on the case.
Chin was released on the eve of a scheduled hearing at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, which was to consider a Habeas Corpus writ from Chin's lawyers seeking her release.
"This is a victory for Maria and all Malaysians who have stood with her this past week," Eric Paulsen, executive director of local NGO Lawyers for Human Rights, told BenarNews.
Dozens of other pro-Bersih activists and supporters, as well as activists from a pro-government group – which staged a counter-Bersih rally in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 19 – were released last week from police custody but face potential charges in connection with the protests.
"The police freed her because they have no grounds for her detention," Gurdial Singh Nijar, one of Chin's lawyers, told Agence France-Presse on Monday.
Chin's arrest and detention under SOSMA had drawn an outcry from human rights groups demanding her immediate release.
Alicia Edwards, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, weighed in on Nov. 23, telling Reuters, "We are troubled by the ongoing detention and solitary confinement of Maria Chin Abdullah under national security laws."
Bread with coconut jam
In her statement, Chin described the conditions under which she was held in solitary confinement.
"In the morning, I was given bread with coconut jam. In the afternoon I was given rice with meat and water – same goes for my dinner," she said.
After four days into her custody and following a visit by officials with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), she said she was finally given a mattress, pillow and blanket on which to sleep inside her windowless cell.
She was repeatedly taken for questioning at police headquarters, from morning until 6 p.m., where she was interrogated about Bersih and its links to OSF, she added.
"It was the same question for 10 days; on Bersih's global movement, OSF and questions on Bersih's social media – who is the administrator, who decides the contents and who holds the password," Chin said.
Shuman Vasu and Muzliza Mustafa contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- The Malaysian government has called for a review of Myanmar's membership in Southeast Asia's main regional organization over the "large-scale ethnic cleansing" of the country's Rohingya Muslim minority group, in the latest instance of international criticism heaped on the country.
Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, Malaysia's minister for youth and sports and a lawmaker, demanded that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) review Myanmar's membership, though the organization's 10 member states have agreed not to meddle in each other's internal affairs.
"The principle of noninterference is void when there is large-scale ethnic cleansing in an ASEAN member state," he told attendees at an annual meeting of the ruling United Malays National Organization party on Wednesday, according to Radio Free Asia, a sister entity of BenarNews.
Myanmar's army has conducted security sweeps of the northern part of Rakhine state following deadly attacks on border guard posts in October, which they have blamed on Rohingya militants.
The soldiers, however, have cracked down on civilians and been accused of committing extrajudicial killings, rape, and arson in Rohingya communities. The military has denied committing any atrocities and has blamed the arson on the Rohingya.
The violence has forced tens of thousands of Rohingya to flee the area and try to cross into neighboring Bangladesh. The U.N. estimates that 10,000 more could arrive in the coming weeks as Bangladeshi border guards attempt to keep them out.
A United Nations official earlier this week stoked international criticism of the crisis when he said the government was engaged in the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya, who are viewed as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in majority-Buddhist Myanmar.
Crimes against humanity?
On Tuesday, the U.N.'s rights agency said Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims may be victims of crimes against humanity, as former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan arrived in the country for a visit that includes a trip to northern Rakhine state.
Annan, who heads the government-appointed Rakhine Advisory Commission that is reviewing conflict resolution, humanitarian assistance, development issues, and strengthening local institutions in the impoverished state, will visit Maungdaw township where the violence has occurred on Friday.
Annan and other commission members have offered to meet with representatives from ethnic Rakhine civil society organizations (CSOs), but the groups have declined, citing Annan's use of the word "Rohingya" at a Sept. 8 press conference during a previous visit to the area. The country's Buddhists refer to the Rohingya as "Bengalis" though many have lived in Myanmar for generations.
"That's why we decided not to see him," said Than Tun, a CSO representative committee leader in Rakhine's capital Sittwe.
The groups also said they unhappy that the commission has said it will work primarily on development in the impoverished state rather than on Rakhine ethnic and Muslims issues. They believe that the state is responsible for addressing development issues and that the commission is responsible for resolving the sectarian problem among Buddhists and Muslims.
Up in arms
Muslims in other Asian countries held protests this week against the Myanmar's government's treatment of the Rohingya in Rakhine state.
On Nov. 25, hundreds of Rohingya and Malaysians marched to Myanmar's embassy in Kuala Lumpur, capital of the Muslim-majority nation, to protest against what they called the Rohingya genocide. The same day, the Malaysian government summoned Myanmar's ambassador to convey its concerns about the matter.
Also on Nov. 25, members of Islamic groups marched in a rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to protest what they called the persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar.
Prime Minister Najib Razak will participate in another demonstration against the violence in Rakhine on Dec. 4, Agence France-Presse reported.
News of the Sunday rally came as Aung San Suu Kyi, who also serves as Myanmar's state counselor and foreign minister, arrived in Singapore on Wednesday for a three-day visit to drum up foreign investment for Myanmar. She did not address the situation in Rakhine but said she was working towards peace and national reconciliation in the country.
Aung San Suu Kyi was scheduled to visit Indonesia after Singapore, but postponed the trip following protests in the predominantly Muslim country over Myanmar's crackdown on the Rohingya and the arrests of an Islamic State-linked militant for planning to bomb Myanmar's embassy in the capital Jakarta.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak challenged Myanmar's State Counselor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her government Sunday during a rally in Kuala Lumpur in support of ethnic Rohingya.
Najib led the rally attended by about 8,000 in defiance of a statement by U. Zaw Htay, the deputy director general of Myanmar president's office on Friday. Referring to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) principles, Htay said a member country does not interfere in other member countries' internal affairs.
"We want to tell Aung San Suu Kyi, enough is enough!" Najib told attendees. "Two days ago, the Myanmar government in a statement said if I were to attend today's rally, it shows that I'm meddling with their internal affairs.
"They warned me! But I don't care, because I am standing here not as Najib Razak but I am here under the name of Ummah (Muslim community) and as a Malaysia citizen as a whole," Najib told the crowd.
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A young demonstrator holds a sign during the rally in Kuala Lumpur, Dec. 4, 2016. [Hadi Azmi/ BenarNews]
Ethnic cleansing
The rally occurred a day after Malaysia accused the Myanmar government of ethnic cleansing and former United Nations Secretary Gen. Kofi Annan visited a village in Myanmar's Rakhine State where thousands of Rohinyas have fled their homes.
On Thursday, Malaysia's national football team announced it had cancelled two under-22 friendlies against Myanmar in protest of the crackdown against Rohingyas, Agence France-Presse reported.
Myanmar's army has conducted security sweeps of the northern part of Rakhine State following deadly attacks on border guard posts in October, which they have blamed on Rohingya militants.
Soldiers have cracked down on civilians and have been accused of committing extrajudicial killings, rape and arson in Rohingya communities. The military has denied committing any atrocities and has blamed the arson on the Rohingya.
Malaysia's foreign ministry on Saturday said the number of Rohingyas who are suffering, pointing to the 56,000 refugees in Malaysia and thousands in neighboring countries, makes the issue no longer an internal matter.
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Members of the Rohingya community participate in the Kuala Lumpur rally, Dec. 4, 2016. [Hadi Azmi/ BenarNews]
"The fact that only one particular ethnicity is being driven out is by definition ethnic cleansing," it said in a statement.
Responding to Myanmar's comment on the ASEAN charter, Najib said it calls on members to protect human rights.
"They've only chosen to read one portion and ignore the rest. Are they blind?" Najib told the crowd that included opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic (PAS) Party President Abdul Hadi Awang.
Najib also urged the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take more serious roles in the Rohingya crisis, asking Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, among others, for support.
"Today I call upon every leader in this world to step up and join hands to find solutions and help the Rohingya escape their cruel fate," he said.
Leader criticized
Najib said Aung Sang Suu Kyi was reluctant to meet Malaysian representatives.
"I asked Foreign Minister Anifah Aman to meet his counterpart, Aung Sang Suu Kyi, but she replied – 'I'm not willing to meet you if you're going to talk about the Rohingya issue,'" he said.
"If that's the case then what is the point of saying ASEAN is a community, what is the point of a Nobel Peace Prize?" Najib told the rally where many carried signs with messages "Stop the killings' and "Help the Rohingyas."
Among those in attendance were Anifah, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PAS Youth Chief Nik Abduh Nik Aziz along with Rohingyas living in Malaysia who spoke out against Myanmar.
"We are powerless, and we don't know where to get help. I hope that the Malaysian government can help our remaining brothers back at Myanmar," said Ziyar Akmal, 23, who has been working in Malaysia for two years.
"I no longer have anything in this world. I don't have a place to call home. They decapitated one of my siblings and they burned our house," Ziyar told BenarNews.
Meanwhile, Nizamullah, 20, told BenarNews that Myanmar leaders are cowards and cruel – "I'm lucky to have left the country. Those left behind are living in hell."
"Back in Myanmar, we Rohingya don't have the right to do anything. They treated us very bad, in a way you can't imagine. I only can pray to God to help ease our brothers suffering back home," he said.
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Students from an Islamic school hold signs in support of Rohingyas, Dec. 4, 2016. [A. Ariffin/ BenarNews]


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BENARNEWS- Malaysia is facing a backlash from Myanmar's government following Prime Minister Najib Razak's appearance at a weekend rally in Kuala Lumpur during which he condemned violence against Rohingya Muslims as "genocide."
Myanmar President U. Htin Kyaw and Commander-in-Chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing confronted the visiting chief of Malaysia's armed forces on the issue during a meeting on Monday at the Presidential Palace in Nay Pyi Taw, their offices said in statements issued Tuesday.
"Hlaing told his Malaysian counterpart that no human rights violations had taken place against Muslim Rohingya," the Myanmar Times said in quoting from Hlaing's statement.
During his meeting with Malaysian military chief Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, the Myanmar president discussed concerns over "false news" about violence in Maungtaw, a township in western Rakhine state where the Rohingya minority is concentrated, according to Htin Kyaw's statement.
"The president clarified the efforts of the new government in handling the Rakhine state issue in accordance with the existing laws and human rights standards and norms and measures being taken by the Rakhine State Advisory Commission and investigation commission," the statement said.
Zulkifeli's visit was not to discuss the Rohingya issue but part of a travel program in the region prior to his retirement on Dec. 16, a Malaysian Defense Ministry official told BenarNews.
Najib responds
In a message posted Tuesday night on Twitter, Najib said the rally to show solidarity for the plight of the Rohingya drew the attention of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and Malaysia was working with the Muslim world body to organize a meeting of foreign ministers from member-states "to discuss the Rohingya issue."
At Sunday's rally, the Malaysian prime minister criticized Myanmar for citing the non-interference clause in the charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which prevents members of the regional bloc from meddling in the domestic affairs of other member-states.
The rally occurred a day after Malaysia accused the Myanmar government of ethnic cleansing, and former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan visited a village in Rakhine where thousands of Rohingya had fled their homes.
Rakhine violence
Myanmar's army has conducted security sweeps in the northern part of the state that borders Bangladesh, following deadly attacks on Burmese border-guard posts in early October, which authorities have blamed on Rohingya militants.
In the crackdown soldiers have been accused of committing extrajudicial killings, rape and arson in Rohingya communities. The military has denied committing any atrocities and has blamed the arson that has reportedly destroyed hundreds of homes on Rohingya.
The violence has caused thousands of Rohingya to flee across the border into Bangladesh. On Tuesday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that thousands of  Rohingya had crossed into southeastern Bangladesh to escape the violence in Rakhine.
"The inter-agency coordination team, consisting of U.N. agencies and international NGOs with a presence in the district, is constantly assessing the humanitarian situation and has identified about 22,000 new arrivals since late November," IOM said in a statement.
"Many of the new arrivals are in a vulnerable state and it is a priority to us that they get access to the available services," said the agency that has been coordinating humanitarian assistance to undocumented Myanmar nationals in Cox's Bazar district in Bangladesh since 2013.
Domestic backlash
Sunday's rally saw Najib sitting on the same stage as Abdul Hadi Awang, president of the Pan-Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) – a traditional rival of Najib's United Malay National Organization (UMNO) party.
On Monday, a coalition of Myanmar Muslim Civil Society Groups issued an open letter accusing Najib of exploiting the rally for his self-interest and political purposes.
"In such a time, we are dismayed by poorly informed initiatives like the rally in Malaysia, which could further worsen the already difficult situation and be considered as a threat to the unity and stability of the ASEAN community.
"We hereby reassert that the Muslim community in Myanmar does not take it as a religious persecution, but a controversial ethnic issue," the statement said.
Apart from the backlash from Myanmar, Najib is facing criticism at home for his appearance at the rally.
Questioning Najib's sincerity, members of opposition parties in Malaysia pointed to two motions, one in 2012 to condemn actions in Myanmar and another a week before the rally to discuss concerns over ethnic cleansing, being rejected by parliament.
"As early as November 2012, MP Nurul Izzah Anwar called for an emergency motion regarding the Rohingya issue. Parliament should have debated it then. Why was it rejected," Malek Hussin, head of Parliamentary Affairs Office of the Opposition Leader told BenarNews.
On Nov. 24, a similar motion raised by opposition party National Trust Party was rejected by the speaker on the basis it would interfere with Myanmar's sovereignty.
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Malaysian Armed Forces chief Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, left, meets with Myanmar Commander-in-Chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. [Courtesy of Myanmar Commander-in-Chief's office]
Hata Wahari in Kuala Lumpur and Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Dhaka contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- The crisis in western Myanmar's Rakhine state and allegations about human rights abuses of ethnic Rohingya Muslims by security forces there have evolved into a diplomatic tit-for-tat between the Southeast Asian country and Muslim-majority Malaysia.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak participated in a rally on Dec. 4 in the capital Kuala Lumpur during which he condemned violence against Rohingya Muslims as "genocide" and urged other Asian nations to increase pressure on Myanmar to stop the violence.
The move prompted Myanmar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Kyaw Tin to summon Malaysian Ambassador Mohd Haniff Bin Abd Rahman to express dismay over Najib's remarks against the government and reject accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
"The Minister of State also stressed the need for the international community to assist Myanmar in its efforts to maintain peace, stability, and security of the people and to make progress in building better relations between the two communities, instead of making calls based on unverified allegations that will only cause bigger problems than solutions," said a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign affairs on Wednesday.
The statement went on to note the Myanmar government's appointment of the Rakhine Advisory Commission led by former United Nations chief Kofi Annan and a national-level Investigation Commission to examine the situation in Rakhine.
'Black journalism'
Ethnic Rohingya in Muslim-majority nations in Asia, including Malaysia, have staged protests against a crackdown on Myanmar's Rohingya community in the northwestern part of Rakhine by military and border police.
The forces, which have been conducting a security sweep following deadly attacks on border guard stations on Oct. 9, are accused of committing human rights abuses of the Rohingya who live there.
At least 86 people have been killed and about 30,000 displaced in the army crackdown in Rakhine state. More than 20,000 Rohingya have fled the area to neighboring Bangladesh where they have accused Myanmar soldiers of killing civilians, raping women and girls, and burning down their homes.
Meanwhile, an editorial in the government-run Myanmar newspaper The Mirror on Wednesday criticized Najib and the Dec. 4 rally for "black journalism" – using religious emotion and unreliable information to take advantage of the situation for political purposes, Radio Free Asia, a sister entity of BenarNews reported.
Some in Myanmar believe that Najib is using the Rohingya issue to deflect corruption allegations surrounding his involvement in taking billions of dollars of public money from a state investment fund.
The editorial urges people to condemn the rally for its use of what it called incorrect information about the situation in Rakhine.
No more workers
In a related development, the Myanmar government on Wednesday said it had temporarily stopped sending workers to Malaysia.
"Myanmar has temporarily stopped sending workers to Malaysia from Dec. 6, 2016, because of the current situation in Malaysia," it said in a statement with no elaboration, but apparently in response to the two countries' falling out over the ongoing military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine.
"We did it because we want to protect our citizens who want to work in Malaysia," said Myo Aung, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Labor and Immigration.
The government has arranged to send 500 to 700 laborers every week to work in Malaysia, and there are now more than 200,000 Myanmar citizens workers who work legally in the country, he said.
On Wednesday, officials from Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resources declined to comment to BenarNews, an online news organization affiliated with Radio Free Asia, about Myanmar's announcement on migrant workers.
However, Nur Jazlan Mohamed, Malaysia's deputy minister of home affairs and internal security, told Malaysia's The Sun Dailynewspaper that the nation would continue to accept Myanmar nationals who want to work there, and that there was no agreement between the two countries regarding the workforce supply.


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian affiliates of multinational firms McDonald's and Panasonic said they are working to address allegations of exploitation of foreign workers similar to those made in a British newspaper's investigative reports.
Spokespersons for the local branches of the hamburger chain and the electronics giant told BenarNews they had taken action toward recruitment companies, which supply them with manpower, to ensure that migrants are not exploited.
The managing director of Golden Arches Restaurants Sdn Berhad, the Malaysian affiliate of McDonald's, said it had terminated its contract with a recruitment firm named in one of the articles published last month by The Guardian.
"After several failed attempts to solve such issues with Human Connection HR, McDonald's decided to end its dealings with the manpower supply company several months ago," Azmir Jaafar told BenarNews, adding that Golden Arches would cooperate fully with any government investigations into alleged labor abuses.
One of the articles in The Guardian alleged that Nepalese migrants who work for McDonald's outlets in Malaysia were paid as little as 75 U.S. cents an hour and were "cheated out of months of salary." Efforts by BenarNews to contact representatives of Human Connection HR and other recruitment firms were unsuccessful.
Malaysia's workforce counts 2 million undocumented workers who come from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal and other countries.
Among them, there are about 700,000 Nepali workers who are mostly employed on plantations and factories and who send home a total of 5 billion ringgit (U.S. $1.1 billion) in remittances each year – about 40 percent of Nepal's overall remittance sector – according to an official at Nepal's embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Similar allegations of abuses in supply chains against the Malaysian affiliates of Panasonic and Samsung were made by Nepalese migrants in a separate Guardian article on Malaysia's electronics industry – a huge sector of the national economy. Sources cited in the Nov. 20 article complained that they were working 14-hour days, had been deceived about their salaries and had their passports confiscated.
"We have also, at times, spoken to the companies involved but the problems keep happening. We would like the Malaysian government to intervene to put a stop to such violations," the Nepal Embassy official told BenarNews. "The government should immediately summon companies named in the reports and ask for explanations."
Samsung did not respond to inquiries from BenarNews, but a spokesman for Panasonic said it was investigating the allegations and had found that one of its labor-supply contractors had violated regulations. Panasonic has since ordered the contractor to take immediate corrective action, the spokesman said.
"We expect all of our suppliers to strictly comply with our CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility] policy and declaration. These expectations are outlined in Panasonic's contracted terms and conditions with each supplier. We do not tolerate breaches of these terms," the spokesman told BenarNews via email.
'It is rampant'
According to the chairman of a committee that deals with migrant and immigration issues at the Malaysian Bar Council, Malaysia lacks resources to strictly enforce labor laws in protecting workplace rights for foreign workers.
"There is definitely lax enforcement of the laws with respect to the rights of migrant workers in Malaysia. There is also endemic corruption with respect to the whole recruitment and employment of migrant workers at all levels," committee chairman M. Ramachelvam told BenarNews.
"There is a need for more labor inspectors to conduct spot checks at work sites to ensure workers are not cheated – in terms of their pay and accommodation arrangements," Adrian Pereira, executive director of the North South Initiative (NSI), a local rights and social justice NGO, told BenarNews.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) said it was urging the Ministry of Human Resources to investigate the allegations of exploitation of migrant workers.
"It is rampant but does not get highlighted since workers are not aware [about] how to [complain] and there are no specific avenues for them," MTUC Secretary General J. Solomon told BenarNews.
A senior official from the Ministry of Human Resources said it had sent a query to the Labor Department about the allegations and was waiting for a response before it could act on the allegations.


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BENARNEWS- A day after Myanmar's government announced it would no longer send workers to Malaysia, a migrant-group leader said about 90,000 Rohingya Muslims already in the country were willing to take jobs.
Faisal Islam Muhammad Kassim, president of the Rohingya Society in Malaysia (RSM), told BenarNews on Thursday that allowing members of his group to get jobs and seek education in Malaysia would help many who live in shared flats and houses have better lives.
"We would like to work and earn our income," said Faisal, a statistics graduate from a Myanmar university who earns his keep in Malaysia through translation work for media outlets and other odd jobs.
"We then can have access to health insurance if we are able to work legally here. Our children can also receive proper education," said Faisal, who has been in Malaysia for three years without a full-time job.
In response, Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) Executive Director Shamsuddin Bardan supported the idea following Myanmar's move on Wednesday.
"I personally believe when the Myanmar government decided to stop sending workers, the government should allow Rohingya refugees who are currently in Malaysia to work.
"But the policy must be firm. No refugees who come after a certain date should be allowed to work so that the country won't be overrun by Rohingya refugees," Shamsuddin told BenarNews.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources has not received official notification from Myanmar about its prohibition on migrant workers heading to Malaysia. Human Resources Minister Richard Riot said such a move would not change the number of foreign workers in the country.
"About 100,000 Myanmar workers are working in Malaysia with most of them in the manufacturing sector," he said, adding the nation had enough foreign workers with most coming from Bangladesh.
In addition, Malaysia recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia to bring in workers, he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
UNHCR
About 56,000 Rohingya in Malaysia have received refugee status cards from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kuala Lumpur. Faisal said another 35,000 were not recognized by UNHCR, which protects refugees but does not allow them to work legally.
Shamsuddin said the number of refugees was much higher, claiming that 150,000 Rohingya were in Malaysia and had no legal access to jobs.
In November, UNHCR told the Reuters news service that it was working with Malaysian officials on a pilot program to allow a few Rohingya – 300 over three years – to work in Malaysia's plantation and manufacturing sectors.
Political fallout
Myanmar on Wednesday said it had temporarily stopped sending workers to Malaysia over the "current situation in Malaysia," but without elaboration and apparently in response to bilateral tensions over a military crackdown in Rakhine state.
Myanmar's army has conducted security sweeps in the northern part of the state that borders Bangladesh following deadly attacks on Burmese border guard posts in early October. Authorities have blamed Rohingya militants for those attacks.
Soldiers have been accused of committing extrajudicial killings, rape and arson in Rohingya communities. The military has denied committing any atrocities and has blamed the arson that reportedly destroyed hundreds of homes on Rohingya. More than 20,000 Rohingya have crossed into southeastern Bangladesh in recent weeks as they have fled from the violence in Rakhine, the International Organization for Migration said this week.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak led a rally on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur where he condemned violence against Rohingya Muslims as "genocide" and urged other Asian nations to increase pressure on Myanmar to stop the bloodletting.
The move prompted Myanmar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Kyaw Tin to summon Malaysian Ambassador Mohd Haniff Bin Abd Rahman to express dismay over Najib's remarks and reject accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Educational opportunities
Faisal said large populations of Rohingya were in Kuala Lumpur Selangor, and the northern state of Penang. Their children attend schools run by non-governmental organizations.
"We expect that there are more than what we've recorded. UNHCR is giving cards to those who really need it like the sickly and those who had been detained by the authorities and kept at the immigration depot," said Faisal, 34, the father of a 5-month-old.
Lydia Amira, a teacher at a Rohingya NGO school in Kuala Lumpur supported calls for educational rights for Rohingya.
"These students have potential. We want them to have language and knowledge so that they can survive the outside world. It's no different from normal, non-refugee kids.
"From just teaching them language, basic English, a number of our students were accepted for relocation efforts into the United States, perhaps with what we are teaching here, one day they can go back to their country and rebuild it with what they learned," she told BenarNews.
A. Ariffin and Hadi Azmi contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- In the first violent encounter between Malaysian security personnel and suspected cross-border kidnappers from the southern Philippines, police killed three gunmen and captured two others during a shootout off eastern Malaysia's Sabah state, officials said Friday.
The incident occurred late Thursday after seven suspected Filipino gunmen in a boat attacked three vessels in the area around Semporna, a town on Sabah's east coast close to the southern Philippines.
Kidnappings of sailors by suspected Abu Sayyaf Group militants this year have occurred in the seas that separate the Philippines from Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo.
Security forces were searching Friday for the two remaining suspects and the skipper of one of the ships who was taken hostage, according to a police incident report obtained by BenarNews and local media accounts of a Friday press conference by Sabah Police Commissioner Abdul Rashid Harun.
The captain of one of the other trawlers was rescued, but a policeman was shot in the foot during the gun battle, authorities said.
The shootout erupted as the gunmen in a speedboat approached a Tiger Platoon vessel patrolling local waters, Abdul Rashid told reporters, adding the suspects mistook it for another trawler they planned to hijack. The Tiger Platoon is a unit with the Malaysian police's elite General Operations Force.
The platoon commander noticed that the men on the speedboat were heavily armed, he said.
"The head then shouted 'police' and the abductors started to open fire. The security forces personnel returned fire in defense and a shootout ensued for one minute," Abdul Rashid said, noting that the gunmen's boat began to sink afterward.
When the shooting died down, the police found the bodies of three gunmen floating in the water. Two other gunmen and the skipper were found alive.
Second hostage missing
The spree of hijackings began around 9 p.m. Thursday when the seven suspects boarded a trawler off the coastal town of Lahad Datu, 68 km (42.2 miles) north of Semporna. They robbed the crew of their mobile phones and food supplies before making off with the captain, a Filipino resident of Sabah in his 30s, Abdul Rashid said.
"The abductors destroyed the telecommunications equipment on board the fishing vessel and proceeded toward Semporna waters," the commissioner said.
The gunmen then sailed south to waters off Semporna, where they boarded a second trawler near Gaya Island.
"Then the gunmen headed to the trawler's light boat, anchored not too far away, and snatched the second hostage," he said. The skipper who was abducted in this incident was missing after the shootout, according to the Manila Times.
31 Malaysians, Indonesians abducted this year
In 2016, the seas off the northern part of Borneo island have been rife with hijackings in which suspected Abu Sayyaf militant have kidnapped Malaysian and Indonesian sailors and held them hostage in the southern Philippines.
To date this year, at least 10 Malaysians and 21 Indonesians were taken hostage at sea. Five Malaysians and six Indonesians continue to be held by their captors while others were released earlier in the year.
For months officials from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have talked about launching joint patrols to safeguard the Sulu and Celebes seas from more acts of piracy and abductions, but have yet to implement coordinated operations.
On Friday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak congratulated the police for foiling one of the attempted kidnappings, saying in a blog on his website that Malaysian security forces would work with their Philippine counterparts to identify the gunmen and abducted fisherman.
"Praise should be given to the security personnel on their actions as it is not easy to watch the long stretch of coastline," he said.
In Zamboanga in the southern Philippines, Philippine military spokesman Maj. Felimon Tan Jr. told local media that it was trying to verify the incident and confirm whether the three dead men were Filipinos.


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BENARNEWS- An Abu Sayyaf militant leader who was involved in abducting Westerners in 2015 was killed in a shootout with Malaysian police during a cross-border kidnapping attempt in waters off Borneo, Philippine military officials said Saturday.
Abraham Hamid and two other suspected Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants were gunned down by members of an elite Malaysian police unit, the Tiger Platoon, during the encounter off Malaysia's eastern state of Sabah on Thursday night, according to a statement from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The AFP described Abraham as a "key leader" of Abu Sayyaf, saying he had led the September 2015 kidnapping of four people – two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Filipina – from a seaside resort on Samal island in the southern Philippines. Abu Sayyaf this year executed the Canadian hostages, John Ridsdel, 68, and Robert Hall, 50, after ransom demands were not met, but later freed the Norwegian, Kjartan Sekkingstad.
Abraham was also involved in the April 2016 kidnapping of four Indonesian sailors from a tugboat sailing near the Tawi Tawi islands, the Philippine chain that lies close to Sabah, a regional spokesman for the AFP in the southern Philippines said in the statement.
"The death of Hamid is a big blow to the (Abu Sayyaf) as it neutralized one of the notorious bandits and will degrade their capability for spotting and kidnapping victims in the future," said spokesman Major Filemon Tan. The names of the two other slain suspects were not listed in the statement.
Two suspects captured alive
The three suspects were among seven gunmen in a speedboat who hijacked three fishing vessels in the waters between the coastal towns of Lahud Datu and Semporna and abducted two captains that evening, according to Sabah Police Commissioner Abdul Rashid Harun.
But Malaysian officials had yet to confirm the identities of the slain gunmen and say whether they were affiliated with Abu Sayyaf, an armed group based in the close-by southern Philippines that has pledged allegiance to the extremist group Islamic State.
ASG has abducted at least 31 Malaysian and Indonesian sailors this year alone, as well as kidnapped Westerners and citizens of other Asian countries along the maritime boundaries that separate Borneo from the Philippines.
"The process of identifying those killed is still ongoing," a Malaysian official told BenarNews on Saturday.
The authorities, who arrested two of the gunmen and rescued one of the two hostages following Thursday's shootout, were still looking for two other suspects and the second hostage.
The shootout at sea marked the first such encounter between Malaysian security personnel and suspected Filipino gunmen in a cross-border kidnapping incident, officials in Sabah said.
According to a report in Singapore's Straits Times, Police Commissioner Abdul Rashid told a news conference Saturday that the gunmen had infiltrated Sabah from international waters.
The firefight erupted after the gunmen mistook the Tiger Platoon's patrol boat for a fourth that they planned to hijack, he said.
"We are still trying to get more information," the newspaper quoted him as saying. "We are still interrogating the suspects."
Abraham commanded a unit that "prowled the porous borders" between Sabah and the neighboring Philippine province of Sulu, "looking for victims that they would then hand over to bigger groups" in Abu Sayyaf's jungle strongholds in the far southern Philippines, The Star Online reported, citing Filemon Tan.
Out of at least10 Malaysians and 21 Indonesians who were taken in abductions believed to have been carried out by Abu Sayyaf in 2016, none were executed and 21 were released or escaped from their captors. Five Malaysians, Six Indonesians, six Vietnamese, seven Filipinos, a German and a Dutchman are still being held hostage in the southern Philippines.
Desmond Davidson in Kuching, Malaysia contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- De facto Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim lost a final courtroom battle for securing his release from prison when Malaysia's highest court on Wednesday rejected an application to review his 2014 sodomy conviction.
Following the ruling by the Malaysian Federal Court, the 69-year-old founder of the People's Justice Party (PKR) has exhausted all legal avenues to have his conviction and five-year prison sentence overturned, a prosecutor said.
His only other way out of prison would be to seek clemency from a pardons board, but Malaysia's king, who chaired a meeting of the board last year, rejected such a bid made then by Anwar.
"I'll make an announcement in the next two days [about] my next step. I knew this was going to be a long road to achieve freedom," Anwar told reporters as prison officials led him out of the court after a five-judge panel issued its decision.
The ruling also effectively ended prospects for Anwar to challenge his arch political foe, Prime Minister Najib Razak, in the 14th general election scheduled for mid-2018. Anwar is expected to serve another 16 months in jail and could be released early from Sungai Buloh Prison in April 2018, but Malaysian law disqualifies a person who has been convicted from running for political office, according to Reuters.
The justices, led by High Court of Malaya Chief Judge Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, ruled unanimously that Anwar's application for a review of his conviction and sentence had no merit.
"This is not a fit and proper case for the court to use its inherent jurisdiction," Zulkefli said in handing down the court's decision.
The panel heard Anwar's application on Oct. 12 to review his conviction and sentence stemming from a sodomy charge dating to 2008, when the politician allegedly committed sexual misconduct against a former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called Wednesday's ruling "a real tragedy of justice" in "a politically motivated case."
"More than anything, this outcome shows that the Malaysian courts were no match for Prime Minister Najib Razak's political vendetta against Anwar," Phil Robertson, HRW's deputy Asia director, said in a statement.
"With this final decision running roughshod over Anwar's rights and sending him back to prison, Najib and the ruling UMNO party have just fired the starting gun on the expected 2018 election by permanently sidelining the political opposition's most capable leader."
Twice convicted
Anwar is serving his second jail term. In 1998, he was sentenced to six years on sodomy and corruption charges, which Anwar, a former deputy to then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, called politically motivated.
At the time Anwar was second in line for the leadership of the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party, but fell out with its chief, Mahathir. Mahathir has since left the party after becoming Prime Minister Najib's fiercest critic.
Anwar and Mahathir recently reconciled and both vowed to unseat Najib by forming a solid opposition bloc.
Anwar initially was acquitted of the latest sodomy charge by Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohamad Zabidin on Jan. 9, 2012. The judge found said the court was not convinced that a DNA sample taken from Saiful had not been tainted.
But on March 7, 2014, the Court of Appeal reversed the decision to acquit Anwar and sentenced him to five years in jail.
On Feb. 10, 2015, a five-judge panel in Federal Court, chaired by Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria, rejected Anwar's appeal and maintained the conviction.
'Anwar can't accept this decision'
Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is president of the PKR, appeared dejected when the court issued its decision Wednesday. She later declined to answer questions from reporters in the lobby of the courthouse in Putrajaya, but she did address supporters of her husband.
"I see continued support to this struggle until this very day and this has helped me to strengthen my spirit to keep on fighting," Wan Azizah said.
Anwar's attorney. N. Surendran, said the legal team would examine the written judgment of the court before announcing any further action.
"Anwar can't accept this decision and [neither can] his family members," Surendran said.
Meanwhile, one of the prosecutors told local news portal MalaysiaKini report on Wednesday that Anwar had run out of legal options.
"He has exhausted all legal channels. As far as the court knows, Anwar had run out of option, unless he is given a royal pardon," Tengku Amir, a member of the prosecution team said in the MalaysiaKini report.
Surendran said his client does have one option left in his efforts to get of out jail, but that does not involve going through the courts: seeking a royal pardon from Malaysia's new king, Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan, who was sworn in as monarch on Tuesday.
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Opposition leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (with microphone) addresses supporters outside the federal courthouse in Putrajaya, Dec. 14, 2016. [Hata Wahari/BenarNews].


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BENARNEWS- Malaysian officials say they are prepared to talk with their counterparts in Myanmar to find a resolution to end alleged human rights abuses against ethnic Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.
A statement from Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Foreign Minister Anifah Aman is prepared to meet with Myanmar's State Counselor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to determine how the Muslim-majority country can assist Myanmar to end the violence.
Myanmar has called for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to participate in a retreat in Yangon Monday to discuss recent developments in the country, including in Rakhine state.
"We welcome this positive development," the Malaysian ministry said.
"On the claim that Malaysia's recent actions are 'un-ASEAN-like' and may jeopardize any further possibility of Malaysia playing a credible role toward a long-term solution in Rakhine state, the Ministry believes that it is due to Malaysia's vocal position on the issue that Myanmar will host an ASEAN Foreign Ministers' retreat," the ministry said in its statement.
BenarNews efforts to contact officials in Indonesia and Thailand to ask if they planned to attend were unsuccessful.
At least 86 people have been killed and about 30,000 displaced in an army crackdown in the Rakhine state since October. More than 20,000 Rohingya have fled the area to neighboring Bangladesh where they have accused Myanmar soldiers of killing civilians, raping women and girls and burning down their homes.
Najib led rally
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak led a Dec. 4 rally in the capital Kuala Lumpur during which he condemned violence against Rohingya Muslims as genocide and urged other Asian nations to increase pressure on Myanmar to stop the violence.
The move prompted Myanmar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Kyaw Tin to summon Malaysian Ambassador Mohd Haniff Bin Abd Rahman to express dismay over Najib's remarks.
Malaysia on Thursday again defended Najib's position, saying if not addressed urgently the ongoing violence would impact the region's security and stability and would no longer be an "internal affair."
"ASEAN member states as a community of nations has a responsibility to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of people in accordance with the ASEAN Charter and the Charter of the United Nations, as well as the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration," the foreign ministry said in its statement.
"The exodus of more refugees to neighboring countries, including Malaysia, would witness a repeat of the 2015 boat people crisis," it said, referring to a crackdown on human trafficking in Thailand that led to the sudden arrival of thousands of migrants in Malaysia and Indonesia in May of that year.
Meanwhile, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs Chief Executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan told BenarNews it is crucial for all ASEAN countries to be on the same page to solve the crisis although the "Myanmar government will defend its actions.
"It is absurd if the Myanmar government said there is no problem when everybody said there is," Wan Saiful said.
Negative views
Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, an analyst with Bower Group Asia, said Myanmar needs a long-term solution that addresses the historical conflict and the plight of the Rohingyas, who were stripped of their rights as citizens of Myanmar in 1982.
"It is a good start, but don't expect drastic results from a single retreat," he told BenarNews.
Rohingya Society in Malaysia president Faisal Islam said Yangon would use the retreat as a platform to explain to the world that "all is good" in Rakhine state.
"I don't have confidence in the meeting. The government will also paint a negative picture about Rohingya," he said.
"ASEAN leaders should not just take it all in and keep quiet. They should pressure the government to address the issue.
"It has been going on for 20 years. Pressure the government to give us the basic human rights, the rights of movement, to education, to health care," he said.


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