Kuala lumpur: The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) holistic rehabilitation approach to combating terrorism has proven effective, said Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay. He highlighted the success of this approach through a 2003 operation involving the return of 13 Malaysian teenagers linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group from Pakistan.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ayob Khan shared in a Facebook post that despite a request for these teenagers, aged 16 to 25, to be handed over to the United States for detention at Guantanamo Bay, Malaysia opted for a different path. The Special Branch (SB) worked to bring the teenagers back, detain them under the Internal Security Act (ISA), and provide rehabilitation programmes, including educational opportunities, showcasing Malaysia's comprehensive strategy to counter terrorism.
Ayob Khan recalled that in November 2003, the then Director of the Special Branch, Datuk Yusof Rahaman, led a delegation to Pakistan to negotiate the return of the teenagers. This team included himself, Dato' Anuar Basha, Dato' Aziz Hussin, and several SB officers. After discussions with Pakistani security forces in Islamabad, they agreed to repatriate the 13 Malaysian citizens, who were then sent to Abu Bakar University in Karachi for further studies.
He explained that the top JI leaders aimed to ensure the continuity of their struggle by sending their children to Pakistan for studies, with clandestine military training in Afghanistan during breaks. This group, known as the Al-Ghuraba cell, was intended as a future leadership reserve for JI in Malaysia. The teenagers returned on December 9, 2003, on a special flight escorted by a Special Branch team.
Upon their return, the teenagers faced various outcomes, such as Detention Orders, Restriction Orders, or unconditional release. Those preparing for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) were given tutors. Four excelled in their exams and entered local public universities, one continued at a private college, and the rest became involved in business or self-employment.
According to Ayob Khan, the success of the Special Branch's rehabilitation of militant detainees is attributed to preventive laws like the ISA. He noted that their rehabilitation programmes are considered among the best both regionally and globally, attracting foreign enforcement agencies to Malaysia to study these methodologies.