Local Editor

A controversial security law which came into being in Malaysia on Monday will give sweeping security powers to the government and possibly restrict civil liberties, rights groups fear.

The new legislation, establishing a National Security Council under direct control of Prime Minister Najib Razak, goes into effect amid accusations that the Southeast Asian nation's leader had embezzled millions of dollars from a state-run development fund in past years.

The new law will allow the government to set up "security areas" in regions determined to be under threat and give legal immunity to security forces to conduct operations.

They will have the power to seize property without a warrant and use force against people as they deem necessary.

Laurent Meillan, regional representative of the UN Human Rights Office for South-East Asia, said last Friday she was concerned that these provisions could "encourage human rights violations" and be used to restrict freedom of expression.

For its part, Amnesty International urged the government to repeal the law, after it was cleared by both houses of the Malaysian parliament last December, saying it placed extraordinary and potentially abusive powers in the hands of the National Security Council.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team