
Over 5,000 police personnel on duty for Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting from July 8 to 11
Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department (KDNKA) director Datuk Seri Azmi Abu Kassim said the PDRM had drawn up a detailed security plan and would be carrying out continuous monitoring to ensure the meeting ran smoothly and in an orderly manner.
"The police has taken appropriate measures to ensure high preparedness ahead of this meeting, and the main focus is on the security of VIPs, traffic control and handling emergencies.
"This team will also use sophisticated technology such as facial recognition systems and explosives detection to ensure the event runs smoothly," he told Bernama here Thursday (July 3).
Azmi said police would combine the forces of various departments and units, including the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK), Management Department, Federal Reserve Force, Special Operations Unit (UTK), 69 Commando and Special Branch.
He stated that, apart from the main meeting location, security controls were also extended to other important areas, including Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Subang Airport.
"Security control will also be implemented at the delegates' accommodation locations and certain zones around the delegation arrival area, which will be gazetted as restricted or semi-restricted areas with limited access given to certain individuals only," he said.
Azmi said that to ensure everything runs smoothly, a series of security training and simulations were conducted to strengthen internal and inter-government coordination.
According to him, the security training and simulations involved convoy movement training and testing of security systems, such as scanners and e-gates, at the conference location and the delegation's accommodation hotel. – Bernama
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The Star
2 hours ago
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Asean, the preferred choice
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Before we go into geopolitical issues, let's break down what will happen between July 8 and 11 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre where the 58th Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings are taking place. It will be a hectic four days as Asean foreign ministers meet to discuss and follow up on the decisions made by leaders at the 46th Asean Summit in May – this includes the accession of Timor Leste as the 11th member of the grouping, which is set to take place at the 47th Asean Summit in October. Timor Leste's membership was questioned yet again recently when a foreign news report said Myanmar is against its inclusion. A senior Malaysian official said as far as the chair is concerned, a consensus was reached at the May summit to admit Timor Leste. 'That train has left the station. You should have raised your objection or abstained during the meeting. We have already decided,' said the official. 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The ARF consists of 27 countries: Asean (plus Timor Leste) and Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, North Korea, South Korea, the European Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Sri Lanka and the United States. North Korea's presence, though, is in doubt since Malaysia severed diplomatic ties with the country in 2021. Participation at the EAS and ARF is mostly at the foreign ministers' level. In the past some countries, already at odds over border disputes, would raise their bilateral problems, especially at the ARF. So expect some sparks to occur. 'When the EAS and ARF are convened, participants will exchange views on regional and international developments, and normally the countries will state their countries' position. 'Say one country expresses its views on the situation in the South China Sea and tries to point fingers at China, don't expect Beijing to take it lying down. Sometimes these super powers don't care, they will voice out objections. That is normal and to be expected. 'But the point is that the EAS and ARF provide platforms where countries can have a dialogue although they may not necessarily agree on everything. At least it is a good platform for constructive engagement,' said a senior diplomat. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, as chair of the AMM, has one request for countries that want to raise bilateral problems like borders: find another forum. 'I hope that the ARF will not be the venue for them to 'talk' to each other. It is not fair to bring their bilateral issues to the ARF, it is not the right forum,' he said. Mohamad conceded that issues like the South China Sea territorial dispute will be on the table. Negotiations for a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea among claimant states have taken many years. Mohamad pointed out that communications channels among the countries must always be kept open. The South China Sea dispute has been a contentious issue at Asean meetings for several years as Malaysia – along with affected Asean members Brunei, the Philippines, and Vietnam – is claiming a stake in the area. Taiwan is another claimant party. Malaysia's position on the South China Sea issue is clear and has always been consistent. We are a claimant state, and Malaysia takes the position that all claims must be based on and resolved in accordance with international law, in particular the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The ARF, which started in 1994, is meant to foster constructive dialogue and consultation on political and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region, with the goal of promoting confidence-building and preventive diplomacy. But there have been criticisms that the ARF has not moved much beyond confidence-building measures. The next stages would involve preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution. One Asean official said the fact that the 27 countries are attending the ARF and giving their views at the forum is in itself an achievement. 'We keep on talking and keep on building trust, I think that in itself is an achievement. The ARF is the premier security forum in the region and is led by Asean. 'We can't solve all the problems in the world, but we can acknowledge some of the problems and try to resolve some of them and bring those parties to the table. 'The channels of communication, trust, dialogue, familiarity come from the horse's mouth rather than from a second source. It is a good way to understand the nations and where they are coming from. That is important,' he said. During this AMM, two more countries, Algeria and Uruguay, will sign the Asean Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, paving the way to deepen and expand cooperation with Asean. The region is on track to be the fourth largest economy by 2030 and offers a big market with 650 million people. By the end of the year, it will be Asean 11 with the expected addition of Timor Leste. More countries are opening their missions in Jakarta, where the Asean Secretariat is based. There are also strategic reasons for doing so. There is no question why Asean is still the preferred choice for many countries and no denying its convening power in managing geopolitical and security issues.


The Star
2 hours ago
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Tweet and sour
MARIE Abdullah remembers her school days fondly – a time when friendships cut across race and background. 'We were as thick as thieves,' says the 28-year-old event organiser from Kuala Lumpur. But today, she's troubled by what she sees on social media. 'Some of my old friends post things that are downright incendiary. One will openly use slurs when discussing certain issues. Others jump in to oppose them and retaliate in the same manner. 'We were friends. But now I'm thinking about unfriending them. What they write is just too disheartening to read,' she says. Marie's experience reflects a wider trend: social media, once seen as a bridge, is now becoming a wedge. Online polarisation – fuelled by identity politics, misinformation, and algorithmic echo chambers – is fraying the social fabric. The issue took centre stage at the International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) in Singapore last week. In his keynote address, Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah warned that the very tools meant to connect the people are doing the opposite. 'The very technologies that promise inclusion can entrench exclusion. Our information ecosystems have become battlegrounds. Algorithms have the unfortunate habit of trapping us in digital echo chambers – feeding prejudice and starving nuance. 'This results in fragmentation, a kind of online tribalism. Information, while accessible, is becoming decentralised.' Sultan Nazrin Shah warned that the very tools meant to connect the people are doing the opposite. — Bernama Digital divides Sultan Nazrin noted that while more than five billion people now have access to the Internet, this unprecedented connectivity has not translated into greater unity. 'Digital platforms shape public discourse and private thought. The impact on our economies, our politics and even on our minds is transformative. 'The pandemic was a watershed moment in our living history, not least in how it accelerated our virtual connectedness. It brought wide-ranging digital communities into our very living rooms. We conducted schooling, office work, legal trials, and endless group quizzes on screens.' He said virtual spaces had promised inclusion and a shared global experience like never before and for a time, it felt real. 'Societal cohesion was reshaped by a dynamic online global community, one held together by innovations both marvellous and challenging.' Still, he warned that these benefits come at a serious cost. 'Our digital spaces, which should be so good at opening doors and minds, are instead responsible for closing them. Online hate rises, as does the spread of conspiracy theories, the propagation of extremist ideologies and even violence. 'And with truth itself now up for grabs – with the rise of fake news – trust in institutions and in each other breaks down. 'The very real dangers of this were realised last summer in the UK, for example, in the race riots that followed the tragic murders in Southport. 'The fabric of our social cohesion is being unravelled in the digital realm. And so it is there also that we must focus our efforts to weave it back together.' A 2024 University of California study supports this concern. It found that 80% of youth aged 10 to 18 had encountered hate speech on social media in the prior month. The most common forms were gender-based hate (72%), race or ethnicity-based hate (71%) and religious hate (62%). The study also noted a spike in hate speech reports after the Oct 7 Hamas attack and Israel's military genocide in Gaza, much of it centred on religious identity. A separate report published by the Council on Foreign Relations stated that online hate speech has been linked to a global increase in violence towards minorities, including mass shootings, lynching, and ethnic cleansing, and that policies to deter such speech are 'inconsistently enforced'. Weaponising social media Prof Farish A. Noor, political scientist at the International Islamic University of Indonesia, says social media's adverse effects are now a global threat and one that no society is immune to. 'No country is exempt from this. Even the most ethnically homogeneous societies still have to address social cohesion. And so states have a role to play in keeping in check these communicative technologies that we have, like social media, which have been weaponised. 'I still don't understand why people cannot see that social media can be weaponised. It's evident that it's used as a weapon to create animosity and to foster hatred, contempt, and fear between groups.' Farish says social media's adverse effects are now a global threat and one that no society is immune to. — UIII He says Muslims, in particular, have faced decades of Islamo-phobia that continues to be amplified online. 'Muslims have been victims of Islamophobia for the last 20 to 30 years and a lot of such hate continues to be generated through social media, media and popular culture. 'Whatever prejudice that you may see or suffer from is often engineered. Prejudice, in this sense, is not a natural thing. Someone engineers it. You engineer it by creating false stereotypes. 'You demonise people – entire communities or belief systems – and it's done normally for political purposes. We need to be very wary of that.' While many balk at the idea of controlling social media, Farish believes limits and responsibilities must exist. 'At least there has to be some means to teach people how to be responsible when they use it. You can't simply incite religious or ethnic hatred and say, 'Oh, it's just a joke.' 'It's not a joke – because it spills out into something very real,' says Farish. 'And it has very real consequences. And when that happens, people blame the state for not doing anything. So the states – governments – are in a very awkward position. If they intervene, people say you're censoring. If you don't intervene, they say you let it happen.' Getting back on track One group trying to reverse this tide is Projek57, a Malaysian non-governmental organisation promoting unity in the face of divisive narratives. At the ICCS, Projek57 executive director Debbie Choa shared how the organisation uses its Unity Ribbon campaign to start conversations. 'We are actually from the business community. We collaborate as a social enterprise with businesses and raise awareness by selling our Unity Ribbon pins. We have sold about half a million with support from several organisations. 'This in turn helps us spread a positive narrative on unity, since on social media there's a lot of negativity right now. If everyone comes together with the same kind of narrative, there is hope that Malaysia can move forward. 'Not just Malaysia – I think globally now this message is much needed, right? That we need to be good neighbours.' Choa says education can also help bridge gaps early. She recalls a recent Projek57 event in Bera, Pahang, where students of different backgrounds, including national schools, a private school and Orang Asli children, came together for a Unity Ribbon activity. 'There was a Malay school counsellor attached to a Chinese school there. He connected us to other national schools nearby. We also brought in students from a private school, as well as some Orang Asli students. 'Can you imagine all these kids in the same space? They normally don't meet each other. 'Initially it was a bit of a culture shock. They were shy. But we played some games and got them to participate in creating the unity ribbons.' What happened next amazed her. 'They could talk about how they feel when working with each other and getting to know each other. Imagine if they are studying in the same school.' Colin Swee, Projek57's co-founder, says reconnecting with people on the ground is crucial to understanding the social fabric. One of their initiatives includes cycling across the country to meet people from all walks of life. Choa recalls a simple but meaningful encounter: 'There was a Makcik selling banana fritters,' she begins. When the woman was told what Projek57 was about, Choa says that 'she said, 'Kami anak Malaysia' [we are children of Malaysia] It was so cute. That's how we aspire to live together.' Swee says he has also spoken to former servicemen who fought during the communist insurgency. 'These ex-servicemen didn't do it because of their pay. They were willing to make sacrifices for the country.' To a question about what drives the movement, Choa says: 'And how do we change our own lenses, right? I think reconciliation – having a reconciliation mindset – is not only about forgiving others, but also about how we look at ourselves.'