Latest news with #SpecialMeasures)Act2012
New Straits Times
15-07-2025
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: The Bangladeshi migrant challenge
Most Bangladeshis who come to work in Malaysia have one aim: earn decent money and return home. But an increasing number of them are in the country to start a syndicate or two or to be part of them, peddling fake immigration services or even sham marriages. Their initial targets were their countrymen, but as their business grew, the net was cast wider, attracting other foreign nationals as clients or fellow peddlers. The Immigration Department is rightly worried at the growing number of syndicates of such a nature. So must the nation be. Only recently, the police arrested 36 Bangladeshi nationals in Selangor and Johor allegedly involved in militant activities in a series of raids that began on April 24. They were alleged to be part of a network that was raising funds from Bangladeshi migrant workers for terrorist activities in Syria and Bangladesh, with the aim of overthrowing the governments there. Of the 36, 15 have been deported and the rest have either been charged for terrorism offences or are under detention under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012. This may be a developing story for now, but it has a troubling past in the country. In 2015, the police arrested five people for being involved in militant networks, one of whom was a Bangladeshi. The following year, a Bangladeshi restaurateur was arrested for weapons trafficking following an Interpol alert. In January 2017, two Bangladeshi nationals were arrested — one in Kuala Lumpur and another in Sabah — for alleged involvement with a terror cell in the Philippines. The presence of the Bangladeshi syndicates and terrorist cells here points to at least two recurring issues: weakness in enforcement and corruption among officers. One estimate puts the number of Bangladeshi migrant workers legally in the country at 900,000. And we haven't even added the undocumented Bangladeshi workers being engaged by errant employers. To be fair to our enforcement agencies, that is one huge number of people to keep an eye on. But robust oversight can be made to happen at the beginning of the migrant workers' entry into and exit out of the country. The first is possible by working with the government of Bangladesh in ensuring that only Bangladeshis with squeaky clean records are permitted to work in Malaysia. Our embassy in Dhaka can provide the extra oversight. But that doesn't mean our enforcement agencies needn't keep an eye on them once they are here. Even the squeaky clean can be influenced by ideology or money. The second is to make employers responsible for the exit of the migrant workers after their contracts end. Employing locals will help, too. Robust enforcement also means getting rid of the undocumented migrant workers of all nationalities in the country, estimated to be between 1.2 and 3.5 million as at December 2022 by the Malaysian Bar. One of the reasons why there are so many undocumented foreign workers in the country is the prevalence of corruption among enforcement officers. Two things need to be done to help curb it. One, recruit only officers with integrity.
Malaysiakini
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Ministry monitoring militant-related activities among varsity students: Zambry
The Higher Education Ministry is actively monitoring any activities related to militant movements based on the extremist ideology of the Islamic State (IS) among students at higher learning institutions. Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said this monitoring follows the recent arrest of several individuals, including 36 Bangladeshis, suspected of being involved in the militant movement based on the ideology under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.
Malaysiakini
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Ministry monitoring militant-related activities among varsity students: Zambry
The Higher Education Ministry is actively monitoring any activities related to militant movements based on the extremist ideology of the Islamic State (IS) among students at higher learning institutions. Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said this monitoring follows the recent arrest of several individuals, including 36 Bangladeshis, suspected of being involved in the militant movement based on the ideology under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.
The Sun
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Bangladeshi nationals detained under Sosma for militant links in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Several Bangladeshi nationals are being held under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) for suspected involvement in a militant movement linked to the Islamic State (IS). Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail stated that while some detainees remain under investigation, others have been deported. Khalid mentioned that a press conference will be held soon to provide further details. 'Insya Allah, tomorrow or the day after, I will hold a press conference to explain the actual situation,' he said during a media briefing today. The arrests followed a three-phase operation in Selangor and Johor starting April 24. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail confirmed that no Malaysians were involved in the network, which was found to consist solely of Bangladeshi nationals. The group reportedly aimed to spread extremist ideology based on IS beliefs. Meanwhile, Khalid also attended the handover ceremony of Bukit Aman CID leadership, with DCP Datuk Fadil Marsus taking over as acting director.
