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Malaysia Detained 4,190 People Under Security Law
KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (News Agencies) - Malaysia has detained 4,190 people, without trial, since the passing of the Internal Security Act (ISA) in the 1960s, a deputy minister told news agencies Tuesday.
Some 69 people are currently being held, for between two and four years, under the ISA, Deputy Home (interior) Minister Zainal Abidin told parliament.
Abidin said the law was necessary to contain threats to the country's multiracial harmony and prosperity.
The arrest of 10 supporters of jailed former deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in April, under the ISA, has sparked protests and widespread condemnation.
Four have been released; but six have been sent to a detention camp for up to two years. A student leader has also been arrested under the law, a successor to British colonial legislation designed to defeat a communist revolt.
Abidin, quoted by Bernama news agency, said that some people might think the detention of 4,190 people since 1960 is unjustified.
"However, have these detractors ever given a thought to how the country could have been imperiled had there been no ISA?"
He said the formal surrender of communist party insurgents in 1989 did not mean the country was free from threats to its multiracial harmony and national prosperity.
"Application of the ISA is still relevant to deal with threats posed by the Al-Arqam movement, identity card forgers, reformasi activists and the like," he said.
Malaysia banned the Muslim revivalist al-Arqam movement in 1994.
While legislation could be modified, if merited, security would remain the government's top priority, Zainal said.
The government accuses Anwar's "reformasi" (reform) supporters of plotting to overthrow it through violent street protests. It has not made any of the evidence public.
Opponents say Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is using the law to stifle peaceful dissent.
Apart from the ISA, two other laws allowing detention without trial currently exist.
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