MALAYSIA HANDLES TERRORISM ISSUES WELL, SAYS EXPERT

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has been "on the top of the situation" in handling and curbing militant and terrorist group activities so far, armed conflict studies and international and strategic relations expert Dr Gerard Chaliand said.

He said that although Malaysia had "some problems" concerning terrorism, the
country had handled the matter well during the era of Dr Mahathir Mohamad's
administration.

"These days, I would say that there are a lot of education on the side of
what you might call the jihadees and etcetera," he told reporters after giving a
public lecture on "Terrorism: Past, Present and Future" here Friday.

The public lecture was jointly organised by the Southeast Asia Regional
Centre for Counter-Terrorism and the French Embassy here.

Dr Chaliand said the Internal Security Act had been an effective way to curb
terrorism in Malaysia.

"I think more than that is needed; you need to have some well trained
counter-insurgency forces and probably a better intelligence. Those groups are
quite active and they are not just Malaysians and they have contacts with
neighbouring countries.

"This requires cooperation and professionalisation, it's a job which
requires time; it's a business which will go on for years and it requires a very
serious approach," he said.

To a question, the French-Armenian expert said there was no such thing as
Islamophobia or the "hatred or fear of Muslims or of their politics or culture."

"I am French and we have six million Muslims in my country which means a
little more than 10 per cent, and all in all I must say that we have generally
speaking good relations.

"I don't think that there is Islamophobia, it's just like there is sort of a
rejection towards the jihadees which are spoiling the name of Islam and using
Islam to achieve their goals," he said.
-- BERNAMA