KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry is closely monitoring non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to ensure that none is involved in triad-related activities.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the ministry will not tolerate any NGO, registered or not, which deviates from its stated purpose.
“The Home Ministry will not compromise in this regard, as it can threaten the country's harmony.
“We want to prevent crime, public disorder and religious hatred, which is the top priority of the government in ensuring the people's welfare," he said when replying to Datuk Seri Hasan Malek (BN-Kuala Pilah) in Parliament today.
Hasan had asked if the ministry was taking steps to regulate organisations with links to triads.
Zahid said 23 groups were identified as triads last year and listed as illegal organizations.
"The ministry is clamping down on these organizations with the help of law enforcement agencies and the police," he said.
On a supplementary question by Hasan that such organisations might be protected by influential people, Zahid said the authorities will take action without fear or favour against anyone who violates the law.