Brunei Still Vigilant Despite Low Terror Threat

Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office and Dato Paduka Haji Hamdan bin Haji Abu Bakar, Permanent Secretary (Security and Enforcement) at the Prime Minister’s Office with other senior officials in Kuala Lumpur. – COURTESY OF PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE

Terror threat low; Brunei still vigilant
Posted date: October 03, 2015

THOUGH the threat of terrorism in Brunei Darussalam is currently low, the government continues to remain vigilant against any act of terrorism happening in the Sultanate, the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office said.

As Brunei Darussalam is an Islamic country, some members of the society may be vulnerable to radicalisation due to the present humanitarian situation affecting Muslims in the conflict areas in the Middle East which may lead to feelings of sympathy and a deep sense of responsibility to alleviate their suffering, Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar said.

The minister was speaking at the Special Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Rise of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism (SAMMRRVE) yesterday in Kuala Lumpur.

The meeting was held back-to-back with the 10th Asean Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) and its related meetings.

The SAMMRRVE was chaired by Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, Malaysia.

During the meeting, Pehin Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin shared Brunei’s experience in dealing with radicalisation and violent extremism. Brunei Darussalam adopts a whole-of-government approach in tackling and preventing radicalisation through community engagement, community outreach programmes and campaigns, he said.

Pehin Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin also stressed the importance of cooperation and coordination between Asean member states and Asean dialogue partners in sharing of information, knowledge, experience, best practices, and most importantly, intelligence sharing in countering the threats emanating from terrorism-related activities of radicalisation and violent extremism.

he meeting deliberated on three main issues, namely, the Challenges in Dealing with Radicalisation and Violent Extremism; Rehabilitation/Reintegration; and Regional Cooperation and Counter Radicalisation and Violent Extremism.

Following extensive deliberations and sharing of experiences, the meeting agreed on the following issues:

(1) To speak up against and reject extremism and support moderation;

(2) Counter radicalisation and violent extremism in all forms and manifestations that lead to terrorism;

(3) Place strong emphasis on the aspects of rehabilitation and de-radicalisation;

(4) Conduct analyses and studies on the factors that create a conducive environment for the spread of radicalisation and violent extremism;

(5) Develop programmes to counter violent extremism as well as to build trust and strengthen cooperation between communities vulnerable to radicalisation and the police;

(6) Develop and implement, together with relevant Asean sectoral bodies, comprehensive regional communication campaigns to counter terrorist narratives through all information and communication technologies aimed at denying radicals and extremist proponents the means and opportunities to pursue extremist/terrorist activities and promote their misconstrued ideologies;

(7) Strengthen cooperation with Asean dialogue partners and related international organisations through exchange of experiences, views and ideas including best practices in handling the issues of radicalisation and violent extremism.

These initiatives should focus on community-security force relations and community-police relations, the meeting agreed.

Additionally, Asean member states should also develop more community-based approaches to countering radicalisation and violent extremism, it was agreed upon.

Other members of the Brunei delegation included Dato Paduka Haji Hamdan bin Haji Abu Bakar, Permanent Secretary (Security and Enforcement) at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as well as senior officials from the PMO, the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Internal Security Department.