Malaysia seen as ‘safe haven’ for terrorists, says anti-terror chief

[superadmin]

PETALING JAYA: Foreign terrorists usually view Malaysia as a safe haven or transition country before continuing their activities elsewhere, the chief of the Special Branch’s counter-terrorism division said today.

Normah Ishak said this was the reason why there were not many violent terrorist acts occurring in the country.

Speaking at a forum on women’s role in terrorism financing, Normah also said 51 of the 558 people detained over terrorism links were women, with 36 of them being Malaysian.

Normah said a “pull factor” for these terror groups was Malaysia’s friendly immigration policies, with the visa-on-arrival facility for citizens from many countries, including those from which these foreign terrorists come.

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