KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia is on high alert for the festive season – with armed soldiers making their presence felt at shopping malls, clubs and hotels – after its neighbour Indonesia foiled a planned Christmas Day bombing.
Meanwhile, Indonesian police will deploy some 155,000 personnel to secure the country during the Christmas and New Year holidays, reported Agence France-Presse.
Neither country is taking the terror threat lightly.
In Malaysia, larger malls have deployed their own security teams, numbering more than 100 men each, to complement auxiliary police, according to The Star.
“Certain malls go further by putting up notices to remind visitors about the steps they can take if they notice someone or something suspicious,” adviser to the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association H.C. Chan told The Star.
The use of closed-circuit television cameras to keep an extra eye on crowded shopping spaces has also been stepped up.
Still, Malaysia’s malls have stopped short of installing scanners and metal detectors at entry points, a common feature in Thailand and Indonesia.
Malaysian police said on Tuesday that they had arrested seven people between Nov 3 and Dec 16 for suspected links to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and for planning attacks in Malaysia and abroad.
Earlier this month, they revealed that they had prevented some 14 ISIS-linked attacks in the country.
So far, the only successful assault by the Islamist group in Malaysia was a grenade attack in June on a bar in Puchong, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, which left eight people injured.
In Indonesia, national police chief Tito Karnavian said security will be boosted at churches, entertainment venues and public gatherings during the Christmas and New Year celebrations. On Wednesday, the police discovered a cache of bombs on the outskirts of Jakarta and killed three suspected militants to prevent a suicide bombing.
“Police will beef up security after these (raids)”, said national police spokesman Martinus Sitompul. Intelligence-gathering efforts and the monitoring of social media are also being intensified.
While Indonesia routinely deploys security personnel for year-end celebrations, this week’s events have given the exercise an extra edge.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
