Malaysian Special Operations Force - Introductions

Introductions

The eight elements of Malaysia's Special Operations Force have been tasked with the important objective of maintaining Malaysia's security, specifically in combating terrorism. A mission especially important in the wake of the 11 September attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and in a climate of global terrorism which would see the later bombing of the tourist centre of Bali and the J.W. Marriot Hotel in Jakarta, bombings and murders in Southern Thailand and the bomb explosions in the railway stations and transit systems of Madrid and London. Malaysia's security agencies eagerly studied the lessons to be learnt from all such incidents so as to prepare to deal with similar terrorism, in the event that the terrorists agenda should see them target the Malaysian homeland. In November 2003 Malaysia passed new counter-terrorism laws that were widely criticised by local human rights groups for being vague and excessively broad. Critics claim that the laws put the basic rights of free expression, association, and assembly at risk. Malaysia persisted in holding around 100 alleged militants without trial, including five Malaysian students detained for alleged terrorist activity while studying in Karachi, Pakistan. Malaysia maintains a high level of security and to date no similar terrorist atrocities have occurred.

Previously the only incidents with possible links to Islamic terrorism have been the detonation of a small bomb in Kuala Lumpur's Puduraya bus station and more significantly the 2000 Sauk raid by Al-Ma'unah militants, an audacious raid to steal weapons from a military base to arm an Islamic insurrection. This attempted insurrection was swiftly defeated, the result of the close co-operation and relationship of the government, private agencies and society as a whole. A co-operation and relationship born from the initiatives that from 1948 to 1989 defeated the communist insurgents of the Malayan Emergency and the later Communist Insurgency War. The Malaysian peoples eager not to suffer for a third time in their history a repeat of the previous insurgencies and terrorism.

In assessing the tactics, strength, equipment, personnel and abilities as a whole of these Malaysian special forces, they are the equal in competence with the special forces teams of Indonesia, Britain and the United States. In fact, since being raised Malaysian forces have been involved with such teams on an international level, for example whilst being part of United Nations peace keeping missions.