Malaysian lawmakers approve changes to crime prevention law

The lower house of Malaysia's parliament today approved changes to a law to combat criminal gangs despite attempts to block the bill by opposition lawmakers who fear it could be used to hold people without trial.
Legislators passed the changes to the Prevention of Crime Act early today after a long debate. The government has said the amendments are needed to combat criminal gangs that recently surfaced.
The changes must be endorsed by the upper house and the country's constitutional monarch before they can take effect.
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin participated in the voting.

"The Prime Minister has ordered the Attorney General to make sure that the government will not be implicated of trying to abuse power and that is the reason we all provide certain provision as a check and balance including the set-up of the Crime Prevention Board," a senior minister said.
"The Act is also better than the Internal Security Act 1960 as the minister's power has been restricted under the new act," the minister added.
The government also rejected criticism that the amendments give it powers similar to the Internal Security Act, a law that has been repealed but once allowed the Home Ministry to detain suspects indefinitely without charge.

The Internal Security Act was mainly used against militant suspects but opposition members too were held under its provisions for allegedly threatening national security.