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Malaysia: Deportation Would Send Anti-Terrorism Message
November 29, 2001
Summary
Malaysia has arrested Nur Misuari, a former leader of the Moro National Liberation Front and governor of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao. Misuari fled the Philippines, where he is charged with leading a recent armed revolt on the island of Jolo, and was arrested for entering Malaysia illegally. Malaysia will use his arrest to show Muslim extremists in the Philippines and Malaysia, as well as the international community, that it will not serve as a safe haven for terrorists.
Analysis
Malaysian authorities arrested Nur Misuari -- a former leader of the Philippine separatist group Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) -- and six of his followers Nov. 25 on the island of Sabah for illegally entering the country. Misuari, 60, is the outgoing governor of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao. He is charged in the Philippines with fomenting an armed rebellion Nov. 19.
Kuala Lumpur now faces the choice of either deporting Misuari immediately or holding him as Manila battles ongoing separatist violence from rogue MNLF factions. It will likely detain Misuari for a time, possibly investigating his involvement in crimes upon Malaysian soil, before returning him to the Philippines. By taking this stance, Malaysia will illustrate its refusal to support or condone extremist Islamic elements within its borders.
Such a move would help to encourage foreign investment in Malaysia's flagging economy. By working with Indonesia and the Philippines to counter Muslim extremism and potential terrorist threats within the region, Kuala Lumpur would signal to the international community now at war against terrorism that Malaysia does not harbor terrorists.
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Malaysia: Deportation Would Send Anti-Terrorism Message . . .