Draconian punitive measures threatened by Malaysian police

The Malaysian police non-stop initiative to eradicate illegal online gambling across the nation took a rather alarming turn this week when a police spokesman told a local newspaper that the police may deploy provisions of the Prevention of Crime Act that allow the authorities to detain suspects with previous criminal records for up to 2 years without trial.

Such a draconian punitive measure for a non-violent crime would be unheard of in most countries, but Malaysian law has for some time now allowed for detention without trial for up to 60 days, with a provision giving the Home Minister discretion to extend this to two years.

It is presumably this clause which police spokesman SAC Datuk Roslee Chik was referring to in his threat against illegal online gambling operators this week. Chik heads the federal police anti-vice, gambling and secret societies division.

Malaysian operators shuttered by police raids have often proved to be persistent in resuming their illegal activities as soon as possible, and the police may be considering the use of such drastic measures to finally persuade repeat offenders to stop for good.

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