Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi defended a decision to detain five ethnic Indian activists under a tough security law as in the interests of public order, state media reported.
The five leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), pushing for an end to alleged discrimination of ethnic Indians were picked up on Thursday and ordered held under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
The controversial law allows for indefinite detention without trial.
"Our action is justified. We have to take action if something undesirable to national security and public safety happens," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency late on Thursday.
"I am duty-bound to act because the people want the government to take action. The people don't want to see this country in chaos," he said.
Abdullah, who is also the minister responsible for internal security, said national security concerns overrode freedom of expression.
"Between the freedom of expression and public safety, I will give importance to public safety. If you want to speak up, you must follow procedures," he said.
"This is not a nation that shuts the mouth of everyone. The people are not dumb. If we want freedom, we must be responsible. Freedom cannot be given without responsibility," he said.
Opposition parties and human rights groups, who have campaigned for the abolishment of the ISA, slammed the government's actions.
The US has also called for the five detainees to be provided with fair treatment.
Hungarian authorities temporarily detained seven Ukrainian citizens and seized two armored cars carrying tens of millions of euros in cash across Hungary on suspicion of money laundering, officials said on Friday. The Ukrainians were released on Friday, following their detention on Thursday, but Hungarian officials held onto the cash, prompting Ukraine to accuse Hungary’s Russia-friendly government of illegally seizing the money. “We will not tolerate this state banditism,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said. The seven detained Ukrainians were employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank, who were traveling in the two armored cars that were carrying the money between Austria and
Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani on Friday after dissolving the Kosovar parliament said a snap election should be held as soon as possible to avoid another prolonged political crisis in the Balkan country at a time of global turmoil. Osmani said it is important for Kosovo to wrap up the upcoming election process and form functional institutions for political stability as the war rages in the Middle East. “Precisely because the geopolitical situation is that complex, it is important to finish this electoral process which is coming up,” she said. “It is very hard now to imagine what will happen next.” Kosovo, which declared
MORE BANS: Australia last year required sites to remove accounts held by under-16s, with a few countries pushing for similar action at an EU level and India considering its own ban Indonesia on Friday said it would ban social media access for children under 16, citing threats from online pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud and Internet addiction. “Accounts belonging to children under 16 on high-risk platforms will start to be deactivated, beginning with YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox,” Indonesian Minister of Communications and Digital Meutya Hafid said. “The government is stepping in so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giants of the algorithm. Implementation will begin on March 28, 2026,” she said. The social media ban would be introduced in stages “until all platforms fulfill their
Counting was under way in Nepal yesterday, after a high-stakes parliamentary election to reshape the country’s leadership following protests last year that toppled the government. Key figures vying for power include former Nepalese prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli, rapper-turned-mayor Balendra Shah, who is bidding for the youth vote, and newly elected Nepali Congress party leader Gagan Thapa. In Kathmandu’s tea shops and city squares, people were glued to their phones, checking results as early trends flashed up — suggesting Shah’s centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was ahead. Nepalese Election Commission spokesman Prakash Nyupane said the counting was ongoing “in a peaceful manner”
RSS