KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will launch a regional digital counter-terrorism messaging centre on May 1, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Speaking to reporters at the Conference on Deradicalisation and Countering Violent Extremism, he said the government had allocated RM200 million worth of seed capital for the centre.
"The centre developed using the seed fund from Malaysia will involve close collaboration between three different government agencies including the police.
"The centre will adopt the existing template that is used by the United States and United Arab Emirates," he said.
Commenting on a study conducted by the Pew research centre which showed that 11 per cent of Malaysians supported the Islamic State (IS), Zahid said the findings should be viewed critically.
"I do not intend to question the research methodology (of the study) but what is more important is the government's commitment to stop violent extremism.
"We want to play a role in the international stage by sharing our experiences fighting against the Communist insurgency and the more recent terror threats such as from Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and Al-Maunah," he said adding that the terror groups might come and go but their styles and objectives remained similar.