[Sebelum ini kerajaan mengatakan ada 10,000 anggota KMM, sekarang cuma 80 orang sahaja... Perhatikan banyak kenyataan berunsur kepercayaan sahaja (believed) - bukannya berdasarkan bukti ataupun fakta. Ini termasuk Nik Adli yang 'dipercayai' ketua KMM. Sila maklum Hj Hadi telah menafikan ahli PAS ada terlibat dalam KMM.

Kerajaan juga kerap tersasul beberapa kali dalam melabel KMM ini. Sekejap Kumpulan Muhajidin Malaysia dan sekejap lagi Kumpulan Militan Malaysia. Kalaulah nama pun tidak pasti, anggaran bilangan yang tepat pun masih belum dapat diketahui, dan semua kenyataan bersifat kepercayaan sahaja - itu maknanya polis bukannya menyiasat dengan rapi..... - Editor]

http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/
dowjones/story/0,2619,4178-190200,00.html?

August 26, 2001

Dow Jones Newswires

Mahathir Accuses Opposition Parties Of Being "Stupid"

KUALA LUMPUR (AP)--Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad slammed Malaysia's opposition parties Sunday for condemning a crackdown on what the government has described as a militant criminal gang.

"This shows how stupid they are," Mahathir was quoted as saying by the national news agency, Bernama. "Even if people get murdered or whatever, they claim that it's a charade."

Police recently detained 10 men accused of carrying out murders, robberies and attacks on churches and temples as part of a campaign for a hard-line Islamic state. Another five suspects are said to be on the run.

Authorities are holding the detainees, who include members of the opposition fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, under the Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trial.

Mahathir Sunday pledged that the suspects would be charged in court eventually. Lawyers have mounted a legal battle to free some of them, saying that the detentions are unconstitutional.

The government has denied any political motives behind the clampdown on the so-called Mujahidin Militant Group, which is allegedly led by the son of the Islamic opposition group's spiritual leader.

But the fundamentalist party is accusing authorities of trying to smear its reputation and retaliate against its criticism of a current official ban on open-air political rallies.

Government officials have been determined to maintain support among ethnic Malay Muslims, who comprise about 60% of Malaysia's 23 million people, since retaining power in a 1999 general election.

The sizable ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities helped Mahathir's ruling coalition win 75% of the seats in Parliament, but the fundamentalist party drew large numbers of Malay voters.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires 26-08-01

0759GMT Copyright (c) 2001 , Dow Jones & Company Inc

[Portions Only]

For Full version see KM2 5261

The South China Morning Post, HK

20th August 2001

Islamic terrorism 'scaring off investors'

BARADAN KUPPUSAMY in Kuala Lumpur

The Government yesterday said it feared investors were going elsewhere as the country is repeatedly hit by allegations of links to a new menace of Islamic terrorism.

The official concerns were aired yesterday as police pressed ahead with a crackdown on three home-grown militant groups, one of which has more than 10,000 members, they claim.

http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/ Sunday/NewsBreak/20010826165341/Article/

KUALA LUMPUR

White Paper on Al-Maunah

By Lee Shi-Ian sean@nstp.com.my

The Government will table a White Paper on investigations relating to the Al-Maunah group in Parliament as soon as the court hearing of its members are completed, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

Such an action is being taken after the trial so that it does not disrupt the hearing process or the possibility that it might influence the court's decision.

He said the Ministry also needed additional information to complete the report on the group's activities.

He said the reason for the tabling of the paper was to see the similarities between the 1985 Memali incident in Baling, Kedah; the Al-Maunah arms seizure in Sauk, Perak last year and the activities of Kumpulan Militan Malaysia which was exposed this year.

Twenty-nine Al-Maunah members are being charged with waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Ten of them have been sentenced to 10 years' jail after they pleaded guilty to an alernative charge.

They are being charged under Section 121 of the Penal Code which carries the death sentence of life imprisonment if found guilty.

Meanwhile, police investigations revealed that the KMM has six branches nationwide with about 80 members, including 20 who have been arrested.

The group, which is believed to be headed by the the son of Kelantan Menteri Besar, Nik Adli Nik Abdul Aziz, has branches in Selangor, Kedah, Perak, Johor, Terengganu dan Kelantan.

KMM is also believed to have formed smaller groups which are more fierce and violent in nature led by Zulkifli @ Musa Abdul Hir and based in Selangor.

Zulkifli, who is currently being sought by police, is believed to be a fugitive in Indonesia.

The study on the similarities between the three groups is important to see whether they have something in common with each other. We would like to see whether there is a trend to militant activities in the country.

"We will have to wait until the hearing is over before tabling the paper so that it will not influence the decision of the court," Najib said when he opened the Defence Ministry staff club's Family Day 2001 at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa today.

On the subject of arms smuggling into the country through the Thai border, Najib said border patrolling involved several departments, including the National Security Council.