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02-02-2015, 10:00 PM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
Malaysia a main 'transfer station' for ISIS recruits: Yazhou Zhoukan
Staff Reporter
2015-02-02
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/newsphoto/2015-02-02/450/CFP456834282-120527_copy1.jpg
Malaysian Islamic students attend a protest outside the Ministry of Home Affairs building in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Sept. 5, 2014. (File photo/CFP)
Malaysia has become a main "transfer station" for new recruits hoping to join the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group in the Middle East, reports the Hong Kong-based Yazhou Zhoukan.
The influence that Islamic State has continued to expand throughout Asia, Yazhou Zhoukan said, noting the recent execution of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto and reports of recruiting in South Korea.
Hackers believed to be affiliated with ISIS also recently hacked the website of Malaysia Airlines, which lost two planes in crashes last year. During the cyberattack, the carrier's websites showed a picture of an aircraft with the words "404-Plane Not Found" and "Hacked by Cyber Caliphate," with the phrase "ISIS will prevail" in the tab section.
The site subsequently showed a picture of a lizard and the name of the hacker group Lizard Squad, which has been linked to previous high-profile attacks on Sony's Playstation Network and Microsoft's Xbox Live.
The incidents have raised growing concerns over internet security and the spreading influence of ISIS in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia.
Chinese public security vice minister Meng Hongwei revealed during talks with Malaysian home affairs minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi last month that more than 300 Chinese citizens had used Malaysia as a transfer station on their way to joining ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Prior to this, Indonesian police arrested four Chinese citizens of Uyghur ethnicity who had traveled to Indonesia from China via Cambodia and Thailand, with the intent of connecting with a local Islamic State chief.
In a raid last October on an apartment in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian police discovered 55 Chinese Uyghurs — including women and children — holding fake Turkish passports. While it is not clear whether the stowaways had any links to ISIS, the mass people smuggling operation stunned authorities in both countries.
Meng said that the Chinese and Malaysian governments will solemnly look into issues that may endanger national security and promise to work together to comprehensively curb these problems, adding that the two countries have an agreement that will allow for joint counterterrorism operations. Beijing has not yet been able to ascertain exactly how many Chinese terrorists have used Malaysia as a transfer station or whether they have a direct connection to ISIS, though this smuggling corridor must be cut off to prevent more ISIS supporters from heading to the Middle East, he added.
Based on information gathered from previous arrests by Chinese border authorities, it appears that the Islamic extremists are exiting China not from the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region in the northwest due to tighter security, but are instead heading down south to the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region or Yunnan province to be smuggled into Vietnam or Myanmar before finding their way to Malaysia via Thailand or Cambodia. From there, the stowaways will head directly into Turkey or via Indonesia, then cross the Syrian border into ISIS-controlled territory.
Regional security analysts believe ISIS recruits are taking the route into Syria via Malaysia and Indonesia due to the simpler visa requirements and easier clearance measures in these two predominantly Muslim nations. Sources indicated that advanced terrorism networks in the two countries, especially Indonesia, provide more protection and support to the stowaways and can even provide them with free accommodation.
Ahmad Zahid revealed that of the 46 Malaysian nationals arrested last year for planning to join ISIS in Syria or Iraq, many were civil servants and former soldiers. Kuala Lumpur estimates that there are currently about a hundred Malaysians fighting for ISIS in the Middle East. Four new extremist Islamic organizations — known by their acronyms BKAW, BAJ, Dimzia and ADI — have also been formed in Malaysia over the past year, all with the goal of forming a "super" Islamic caliphate to rule parts of Southeast Asia.
With 80% of Indonesia's 250 million population and 60% of Malaysia's 30 million population identifying as Muslims, both governments are working hard to stop the expansion of Islamic extremism and the growing influence of ISIS. Jakarta recently issued a blanket ban on the support and endorsement of ISIS, while Kuala Lumpur blasted the actions of ISIS for running counter to the Islamic faith as well as culture and humanity.
The main concerns of China and other Southeast Asian nations is that the Islamic extremists participating in ISIS activities in the Middle East will eventually bring their experiences on the battlefield back home with them and spread their extremist ideologies across the region. According to police, some early members of ISIS from Malaysia and Indonesia have already returned to their home countries and are recruiting people through social media outlets such as Facebook.
Last July, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi released a video detailing the group's expansion plans, declaring that he planned to seek vengeance against those who took away the rights of Muslims in 20 countries across the world, of which China was placed first.
"By God, we will take revenge. Even if it takes a while, we will take revenge and we will retaliate doubly and more," Al-Baghdadi said, adding, "the day will come when Muslims will be walking everywhere as noble masters. Those who dare to stand up against them will be disciplined and all hands that reach out to them will be cut off."
In the video, Al-Baghdadi referenced China and Xinjiang numerous times, criticizing Beijing's policy against Muslims in the region and asking all Chinese Muslims to plead allegiance to him.
China's special envoy to the Middle East, Wu Sike, has stated that ISIS may have already recruited as many as 100 Chinese citizens, most of whom are Uyghurs from Xinjiang.
Last August, Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, called upon the international community to strengthen efforts to combat Islamic State, calling the extremist group "a serious threat to peace and security in the Middle East and the world as a whole."
"China is also a victim of terrorism. We strongly oppose all forms of terrorism and will continue to actively participate in international counter-terrorism cooperation and to combat the threat of terrorism together," Liu added.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?199576-Malaysia-a-main-transfer-station-for-ISIS-recruits&goto=newpost).
Malaysia a main 'transfer station' for ISIS recruits: Yazhou Zhoukan
Staff Reporter
2015-02-02
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/newsphoto/2015-02-02/450/CFP456834282-120527_copy1.jpg
Malaysian Islamic students attend a protest outside the Ministry of Home Affairs building in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Sept. 5, 2014. (File photo/CFP)
Malaysia has become a main "transfer station" for new recruits hoping to join the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group in the Middle East, reports the Hong Kong-based Yazhou Zhoukan.
The influence that Islamic State has continued to expand throughout Asia, Yazhou Zhoukan said, noting the recent execution of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto and reports of recruiting in South Korea.
Hackers believed to be affiliated with ISIS also recently hacked the website of Malaysia Airlines, which lost two planes in crashes last year. During the cyberattack, the carrier's websites showed a picture of an aircraft with the words "404-Plane Not Found" and "Hacked by Cyber Caliphate," with the phrase "ISIS will prevail" in the tab section.
The site subsequently showed a picture of a lizard and the name of the hacker group Lizard Squad, which has been linked to previous high-profile attacks on Sony's Playstation Network and Microsoft's Xbox Live.
The incidents have raised growing concerns over internet security and the spreading influence of ISIS in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia.
Chinese public security vice minister Meng Hongwei revealed during talks with Malaysian home affairs minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi last month that more than 300 Chinese citizens had used Malaysia as a transfer station on their way to joining ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Prior to this, Indonesian police arrested four Chinese citizens of Uyghur ethnicity who had traveled to Indonesia from China via Cambodia and Thailand, with the intent of connecting with a local Islamic State chief.
In a raid last October on an apartment in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian police discovered 55 Chinese Uyghurs — including women and children — holding fake Turkish passports. While it is not clear whether the stowaways had any links to ISIS, the mass people smuggling operation stunned authorities in both countries.
Meng said that the Chinese and Malaysian governments will solemnly look into issues that may endanger national security and promise to work together to comprehensively curb these problems, adding that the two countries have an agreement that will allow for joint counterterrorism operations. Beijing has not yet been able to ascertain exactly how many Chinese terrorists have used Malaysia as a transfer station or whether they have a direct connection to ISIS, though this smuggling corridor must be cut off to prevent more ISIS supporters from heading to the Middle East, he added.
Based on information gathered from previous arrests by Chinese border authorities, it appears that the Islamic extremists are exiting China not from the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region in the northwest due to tighter security, but are instead heading down south to the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region or Yunnan province to be smuggled into Vietnam or Myanmar before finding their way to Malaysia via Thailand or Cambodia. From there, the stowaways will head directly into Turkey or via Indonesia, then cross the Syrian border into ISIS-controlled territory.
Regional security analysts believe ISIS recruits are taking the route into Syria via Malaysia and Indonesia due to the simpler visa requirements and easier clearance measures in these two predominantly Muslim nations. Sources indicated that advanced terrorism networks in the two countries, especially Indonesia, provide more protection and support to the stowaways and can even provide them with free accommodation.
Ahmad Zahid revealed that of the 46 Malaysian nationals arrested last year for planning to join ISIS in Syria or Iraq, many were civil servants and former soldiers. Kuala Lumpur estimates that there are currently about a hundred Malaysians fighting for ISIS in the Middle East. Four new extremist Islamic organizations — known by their acronyms BKAW, BAJ, Dimzia and ADI — have also been formed in Malaysia over the past year, all with the goal of forming a "super" Islamic caliphate to rule parts of Southeast Asia.
With 80% of Indonesia's 250 million population and 60% of Malaysia's 30 million population identifying as Muslims, both governments are working hard to stop the expansion of Islamic extremism and the growing influence of ISIS. Jakarta recently issued a blanket ban on the support and endorsement of ISIS, while Kuala Lumpur blasted the actions of ISIS for running counter to the Islamic faith as well as culture and humanity.
The main concerns of China and other Southeast Asian nations is that the Islamic extremists participating in ISIS activities in the Middle East will eventually bring their experiences on the battlefield back home with them and spread their extremist ideologies across the region. According to police, some early members of ISIS from Malaysia and Indonesia have already returned to their home countries and are recruiting people through social media outlets such as Facebook.
Last July, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi released a video detailing the group's expansion plans, declaring that he planned to seek vengeance against those who took away the rights of Muslims in 20 countries across the world, of which China was placed first.
"By God, we will take revenge. Even if it takes a while, we will take revenge and we will retaliate doubly and more," Al-Baghdadi said, adding, "the day will come when Muslims will be walking everywhere as noble masters. Those who dare to stand up against them will be disciplined and all hands that reach out to them will be cut off."
In the video, Al-Baghdadi referenced China and Xinjiang numerous times, criticizing Beijing's policy against Muslims in the region and asking all Chinese Muslims to plead allegiance to him.
China's special envoy to the Middle East, Wu Sike, has stated that ISIS may have already recruited as many as 100 Chinese citizens, most of whom are Uyghurs from Xinjiang.
Last August, Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, called upon the international community to strengthen efforts to combat Islamic State, calling the extremist group "a serious threat to peace and security in the Middle East and the world as a whole."
"China is also a victim of terrorism. We strongly oppose all forms of terrorism and will continue to actively participate in international counter-terrorism cooperation and to combat the threat of terrorism together," Liu added.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?199576-Malaysia-a-main-transfer-station-for-ISIS-recruits&goto=newpost).