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Jan 14, 2010

Govt issues ISA warning

Malaysian minister issues warning after church attacks; Sikh temple is the latest target

By Teo Cheng Wee, Regional Correspondent



Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has warned that the government will use the Internal Security Act (ISA) against anyone caught fanning racial tensions, as a string of church attacks remains unsolved. -- PHOTO: SIN CHEW DAILY

KUALA LUMPUR - HOME Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has warned that the government will use the Internal Security Act (ISA) against anyone caught fanning racial tensions, as a string of church attacks remains unsolved. The minister's warning came as a Sikh temple was vandalised on Tuesday evening. 'We will not hesitate to use the law, including the ISA, and will act against anybody regardless of their background,' Datuk Seri Hishammuddin said in a television interview on Tuesday night. The law, which allows for detention without trial, has been criticised as being a tool for the government to quash dissent. It is coming up for review in Parliament this year. In the interview, the minister also reminded people not to believe rumours spread by SMS messages. He stressed that the situation was under control and that the government was serious about checking threats to national security. But the attack on the Sikh temple in the capital's Sentul neighbourhood is keeping up the pressure on the authorities.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
chengwee@sph.com.sg