Rehabilitated terrorists can deradicalise extremists under POTA - Zahid

Malaysia has utilised rehabilitated terrorists as a good role model in methods to deradicalise the extremists, who

were detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) 2015.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the method was one of four parts of the country's module for the deradicalisation and rehabilitation programme.

"Former terrorists or rehabilitated persons can be good role models and are able to persuade former comrades to leave their misconceived struggle.

"They are also able to point out with more credibility, any crucial factual misrepresentation and misconception linked to radicalism," he said when delivering the ministerial statement on the Policy of Deradicalisation between participating countries at the International Deradicalisation Conference and Countering Violent Extremism (IDC 2016) here, today.

The other three parts of the programme were to engage clerics or ulama for better influence over local communities; engaging the family members as it was very effective both psychologically and spiritually; and engaging the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that were vital in creating awareness to society about the negative consequences of terrorism.

Ahmad Zahid said for those detained under POTA, the module covered various aspects such as social skill, self-management, patriotism, financial management and psychology and would also serve as a guideline for rehabilitation officers.

He said prisons and radicalism in detention was another area of concern as the government realized that such detainees were made up of different backgrounds, beliefs and whose radical inclinations may vary.

"To ensure the success of our deradicalisation program, we engage various experts with different specialisations, security, psychology and spiritual or religion.

"Detainees are also assessed and evaluated by an independent board of experts to determine the length of detention, suitability for release and the necessity for continous monitoring upon release," he said.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, said the program included training that would allow them to acquire skills to secure work, earn an honest living and to assist in adapting to new environment.

Meanwhile ASEAN member states had thanked the Malaysian government in organising the conference as they said the event was timely and urged for further cooperation on information sharing in combating terrorism effectively.

Thailand Interior Minister General Anupong Paojinda said the country had a combined strategy to synchronize the work of intelligence and security under the new National Security Policy 2015-2021.

"We believe that the resolution to deradicalisation and countering violence is to reduce the conditions that has a tendency to result in conflicts such as differing ideology, rooted from various factors such as national identity and

beliefs point of view," he said.

Deputy Minister in Brunei's Prime Minister's Department Datuk Hamdan Abu Bakar said in adressing their domestic and international terrorist threats, Brunei adopts the 'Whole of Nation Approach'.

"Brunei's strategies and policies include collaboration between intelligence and enforcement agencies; registration requirement for all Bruneian students abroad; continously monitoring internet and social media; providing curriculum guidance in religious school; and international engagement as well as continously monitoring terrorism related activities," he added.

As for the Director for International Cooperation of the Indonesian Anti-terrorism Agency Irjen Petrus Golose, he said Indonesia was ready to cooperate with its neighbouring countries in sharing information pertaining to radicalism and security threats in the region.