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The Straits Times SECURITY analysts were taken by surprise yesterday when they found out that Malaysia had released terrorist Yazid Sufaat and more than a dozen Jemaah Islamiah detainees in the past month.
They believe Yazid, who had links to the Al-Qaeda, still poses a security threat to Singapore and other countries. However, they are not alarmed by the move, pointing to the cooperation between Singapore and Malaysia, as well as other neighbouring countries, in dealing with terror threats. 'Singapore's threat monitoring is very robust,' said Dr John Harrison, of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). 'I'm sure they are working closely with their partners in Malaysia and elsewhere to make sure threats don't develop and mature.' Analysts like Dr Rohan Gunaratna are also confident of Malaysia's assessment of the danger Yazid poses. 'Certainly, the Malaysians would have thought it through carefully,' said Dr Gunaratna, who heads the NTU centre. News of the release of the Indonesian, Malaysian and Filipino detainees was published in The Straits Times yesterday. A Malaysian official had told the newspaper that they were freed after a government advisory board at Perak's Kamunting Detention Centre said they were no longer a security threat. Singapore's Home Affairs Ministry, when asked to comment on the release, noted that Singapore will continue to 'work closely with our regional partners on counter-terrorism, which includes exchanging intelligence'. Also, 'regional authorities, including Singapore, have taken strong action in arresting and detaining terrorist elements within their respective jurisdictions', the ministry added in its statement to The Straits Times yesterday. However, Dr Gunaratna believes security agencies should keep a close watch on Yazid, for three reasons. One, the 43-year-old, who was arrested in December 2001, had allowed two terrorists to use his home in Kuala Lumpur. They were Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, hijackers of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, the US military headquarters, on Sept 11, 2001. Two, Yazid, a former army captain, is a biochemist who had headed an Al-Qaeda anthrax programme on using the deadly biological agent for terror attacks. Three, he had a hand in terrorist attacks in Indonesia and had travelled extensively in the region, including Singapore. 'Yazid Sufaat is one of the most dangerous terrorists in Asia,' said Dr Gunaratna. But, he added: 'The Malaysian Special Branch is a very professional organisation, and their assessment of Yazid Sufaat should not be doubted.' Singapore has over the years released JI detainees too, after assessing that they no longer posed a threat. In the past six years, more than 30 have been freed. Their release depends on, among other things, their response to a rehabilitation programme that includes religious counselling by a volunteer group of Muslim experts in Islamic theology. In Malaysia, however, not much is known publicly about its rehabilitation programme, said Dr Kumar Ramakrishna, head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. But the analysts interviewed believe Malaysia would take the necessary steps to ensure Yazid is not a threat. They noted especially the restrictions on his movements. He cannot leave Selangor, his resident state, without the approval of its police chief. Dr Kumar also took heart from the cooperation between the security agencies of Singapore and Malaysia. He noted how they acted in concert in arresting JI terrorists in December 2001, soon after the Sept 11 attacks. However, the need to stay vigilant cannot be over-emphasised. Said the MHA: 'The pervasive threat of international terrorism means that Singapore, like many other countries, needs to remain alert to the potential threat posed by any terrorist element, remain vigilant and maintain stringent border security measures to deter and prevent the entry of terrorists.'
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