Pat on the back for SB counter terrorism officers

Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division personnel going about their job.

THEY often work in the shadows but the sacrifices of the men and women of the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division cannot be denied.

Many people may have first heard of the unit only in the last few months, given the string of arrests of local and foreign militants, including Malaysians trained to become suicide bombers in Syria and Iraq.

In fact, the unit has been around since March 1, 2009, and it has rounded up 104 key militant elements who posed dangers domestically and on foreign soil.

Prior to that, under the Special Branch, the same group of personnel was responsible for arresting suspects linked to at least 10 international terrorist groups known to have operations in Malaysia.

Among them were al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiah (JI), Darul Islam, Liberation Ti­­gers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Hezbollah, Abu Sayyaf Groups, Tandzim al-Qaeda and other splinter groups.

Between 2001 and 2009, they also detained 126 terrorists when the war on terror was launched.

While the abolishment of the Internal Security Act 1960 three years ago has taken away a powerful tool, this special group of terrorist hunters has still done well.

The recent arrests of 19 local militants linked with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) and Abu Sayyaf as well as Al-Shabaab and LTTE serve as proof.

A terror attack does not necessarily have to be executed by a number of people. With a flick of a switch or a push of a button, a lone bomber could inflict tragic damage to the country.

The hard work of the division is one reason Malaysians can work and sleep peacefully.

As Malaysians, it is important ... no, it is our duty to give our complete support to the counter-terrorism personnel as their work is critical to the country’s peace and stability.

We salute the division’s men and women, and we hope the Government will continue to give its full backing to enable the unit to perform better in protecting the nation against any terror threat – foreign or domestic.

It is also about time that NGOs and the public acknowledge that while some aspects of the police force have lots of room for improvement, credit and praise should be given when due. The Counter Terrorism Division is certainly an example of the latter.

The division has been criticised for its detention of the LTTE members, who were also the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card holders. Others have labelled the police as insensitive to the human rights of the Sri Lankan nationals. But what if these same individuals were militants, what about the rights of those whose safety hinges upon the work of the police?

When it comes to national security, the Counter Terrorism Division has performed its duties in protecting our country from harm. Terror threats evolve quickly. Thus, we hope the division will always be adequately equip­ped to prevent terrorism from hurting the Malaysian way of life.