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This is an archive article published on April 5, 2009

Freeing detainees in the interest of Malaysia: Najib

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Saturday said the decision to release 13 people,including ethnic Indian activists...

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Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Saturday said the decision to release 13 people,including ethnic Indian activists,detained under country’s tough security law proves that his Government was not “repressive”.

“If we don’t release them,they will say the Government is repressive. If we release them,they will say we are populist,” Najib told reporters at a press conference at the administrative capital of Putrajaya.

“The Government has the best interest of the people at heart,” he said.

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In his first decision as PM,Najib on Friday said he will revoke a ban on two newspapers and release 13 people held under the tough Internal Security Act,which allows for indefinite detention.

One Indian national,detained under ISA for having forged documents,would also be released. Two other ethnic Indian activists and their three colleagues had been in detention since December 2007 for organising a massive rally on November 25,2007.

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