Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015

The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 (Malay: Akta Pencegahan Keganasan 2015, abbreviated POTA), is an anti-terrorism law that was passed by the Malaysian government on 7 April 2015. It enables the Malaysian authorities to detain terror suspects without trial for a period of two years. POTA also does not allow any judicial reviews of detentions. Instead, detentions will be reviewed by a special Prevention of Terrorism Board. The POTA bill has been criticised by opposition elements as a reincarnation of the former Internal Security Act, which was revoked in 2012.[2][3] The passage of POTA coincided with the arrest of seventeen suspected militants who were involved in an alleged terror plot in the capital Kuala Lumpur.[4]

Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015
Parliament of Malaysia
  • An Act to provide for the prevention of the commission or support of terrorist acts involving listed terrorist organizations in a foreign country or any part of foreign country and for the control of the persons engaged in such acts and for related matters.
CitationAct 769
Territorial extentMalaysia
Passed byDewan Rakyat
Passed6 April 2015
Passed byDewan Negara
Passed23 April 2015
Royal assent28 May 2015
Commenced4 June 2015
Effective1 September 2015, P.U. (B) 345/2015[1]
Legislative history
First chamber: Dewan Rakyat
Bill titlePrevention of Terrorism Bill 2015
Bill citationD.R. 10/2015
Introduced byWan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs
First reading30 March 2015
Second reading6 April 2015
Third reading6 April 2015
Second chamber: Dewan Negara
Bill titlePrevention of Terrorism Bill 2015
Bill citationD.R. 10/2015
Member(s) in chargeWan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs
First reading13 April 2015
Second reading22 April 2015
Third reading23 April 2015
Related legislation
Prevention of Crime Act 1959 [Act 297]
Keywords
Anti-terrorism
Status: In force

Structure

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The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015, in its current form (as of 4 June 2015), consists of 5 Parts containing 35 sections and 1 schedule (including no amendment).

  • Part I: Preliminary
  • Part II: Powers of Arrest and Remand
  • Part III: Inquiries
  • Part IV: Detention and Restriction Orders
  • Part V: General
  • Schedule

Notes and references

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  1. ^ "Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015: Appointment of Date Coming into Operation" (PDF). Attorney General's Chamber of Malaysia. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Parliament passes controversial anti-terrorism law by 70 to 69 votes". Malaysian Insider. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  3. ^ Sivanandam, Hemanathani; Carvalho, Martin; Cheah, Christine (7 April 2015). "Malaysia parliament passes anti-terrorism legislation after long debate". Jakarta Post. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Malaysia arrests 17 for alleged terrorist attack plot in Kuala Lumpur". The Guardian. Associated Press. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
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