KUALA LUMPUR tribe 23 Kyodo Malay...

KUALA LUMPUR tribe 23 Kyodo

Malaysia enlargeed for another two years the detention of nine suspected Islamic militants, including the son of an opposition party leader, because they still bewilder a security threat, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Tuesday.

The nine whom authorities said belonged to the Malaysian Militant cluster (KMM), have already been held for sum of two units years under the Internal Security Act (ISA). below the act, detention orders can be renewed indefinitely.

''They are still considered to be security threats. Intensive investigations are being leadershiped in the region, not just Malaysia, to discover the magnitude of their links to terrorist networks,'' Abdullah, who is also domestic circle minister, told reporters.

Among the detainees is Nik Adli, the son of Nik Aziz Nik Mat, spiritual leader of the country's biggest opposition Pan Islamic Party (PAS).

At least brace others are active PAS members and this had l to critics questioning the motive for their original arrests.

just discovered York-based Human Rights Watch called from one side of to the other the weekend for their release, saying, ''There are indications that the arrests were politically motivated to weaken PAS.''

PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang accused the command of bowing to squeezing from the United States forward the detentions.

He described the renewed detentions as ''inhumane'' and ''indicates the region has not gained real independence because it is bowing down to influence from the U.S. superpower who points fingers at Muslims alleging they are terrorists unruffled though they cannot provide evidence.''

''We want to reiterate our stand against terrorism and acts of fanaticism. (But) any act against terrorists should be done by the and of due process of law and we should not depress to demands from outside forces,'' he said.

The authorities claim, however, the KMM has links to the militant form into groups Jemaah Islamiyah, which has been blamed for fatal bombings in Bali and other places, because the two were founded by the Indonesian preacher Abu Bakar Bashir.

as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but KMM and Jemaah Islamiyah are alleged to have aspired to topple directions in Southeast Asia through violent means to establish Islamic states.

In addition to Nik Adli and the eight others, Malaysia has detained more than 70 KMM and Jemaah Islamiyah members subject to the ISA.

When asked what useful information the regulation has gleaned from the Nik Adli cluster in the last two years, Abdullah retorted, ''Why ask all these details? There must be reasons on what account we detain them. Investigations are being careered and we have recorded whatever information we obtained. If we want to, we can bring them to court.''

Eight of the nine ISA detainees have filed suit against the command in court Tuesday to solicit their release.

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