Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
KUCHING: Prisoners of ideology including Daesh (Islamic State) militant detainees in the country will be segregated from other inmates in prison.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, this was to prevent the Islamic militants from influencing other inmates with their ideology.
He made a startling revelation during a press conference yesterday when he revealed that recently seven prison wardens who supervised the terrorist prisoners were found to have been influenced by their ideology.
“However, we have identified these wardens and immediately isolated them and also had them undergo a deradicalisation programme,” he told reporters after gracing the Home Ministry’s ‘Ramah-Tamah Aidilfitri’ celebration held at Dewan Majma here.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, further disclosed that the segregation of the terrorist prisoners started in January this year.
“We have also recently refurbished a block at Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak to place these Daesh militant detainees.
“My ministry will place representatives at the detention centre including the Malaysian Prisons Department, Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), psychologists from Ministry of Health or universities as well as ‘ulama’ to conduct the deradicalisation programme on the detainees.”
Earlier in his speech, Ahmad Zahid revealed that 261 individuals involved in Daesh activities had been arrested in the country while another 63 Malaysians had been identified to be in Syria and Iraq with the intention of championing for the Islamic State (IS).
“In Malaysia, I have instructed the Malaysian Prisons Department director general (Datuk Seri Zulkifli Omar) to isolate these detainees from other inmates in the prison so that they will not spread their ideology to try and influence them.
“Apart from that, we have also prepared a deradicalisation programme for these detainees so that they can recover and return to their families,” he said, adding that Malaysia has experience in deradicalisation programme.
On the Ramah Tamah celebration, he said the programme fostered solidarity among the multi-racial staff from various departments under the Home Ministry.
“Such celebration will no doubt increase tolerance from the various races so that we will respect each other’s religions.”
Earlier during the ceremony, Ahmad Zahid and his wife Datin Seri Hamidah Khamis also took the opportunity to present ‘duit raya’ to 73 orphans from Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Pendidikan Nur Murni Sarawak.
Among those present were Deputy Home Ministers Masir Kujat and Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed as well as State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar and his wife Datin Amar Fatimah Iskandar.