Step up war on terror, urges Malaysia

Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Abdullah Badawi yesterday invoked his country's successful struggle against communist insurgents in the 1950s to encourage regional governments to redouble efforts to suppress terrorism in Southeast Asia.

Opening a two-day meeting of security ministers in Kuala Lumpur, Mr Badawi drew a parallel between the challenge posed by left-wing insurgents who sought to overthrow the Malaysian state in its early years and modern religious extremists.

'In my own country, we fought to protect our citizens against the communist insurgency that began even before independence and lasted until a decade ago,' he told ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

'Today Malaysia, and some of the other nations, are confronted by religious-based terrorists who, like the communists, want a systematic overhaul of the social and political structures.'

Malaysian police have detained dozens of alleged Islamic terrorists over the past year, claiming they form the backbone of a shadowy movement bent on subverting the Government. The crackdown, directed at the so-called Kumpulan Miltan Malaysia (KMM), has won praise from Western governments, especially the United States. The suspects are being held without trial under the Internal Security Act.

However, opposition politicians in Malaysia have alleged that the wave of arrests has been directed, in part, at curbing the effectiveness of the country's constitutional Islamic opposition.