Malaysian Government Should Consider Establishing Register Of Convicted Paedophiles

KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian government should consider establishing a register of convicted paedophiles as a strong deterrent against the crime. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said in a statement Thursday that the offenders should be made known publicly so that parents with young children and the community would feel safer. He was referring to the recent news reports about the case of Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin, a Malaysian student who was found guilty for possessing paedophile material in the United Kingdom and sentenced to five years' jail for the offence. He said the government would not condone such acts as they were considered as crime against children. With regard to Nur Fitri Azmeer's case, Anifah said the government viewed the matter gravely. "Malaysian citizens including students are expected to abide by the laws of the countries in which they are domiciled. "I also wish to stress that Malaysian students have a duty to focus on their studies and to uphold the good name and image of the country," he said. He urged the public not to confuse consular services and the preservation of basic human rights with a right to be saved after committing an act deemed as a very serious and inhumane crime, especially one related to children. On the same note, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Thursday described Malaysian scholar Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin's conviction for possession of child pornography material in the United Kingdom, as a very serious offence. He said the 23-year-old must be served punishment in accordance with the seriousness of the offence. The Prime Minister said he does not agree with comments and proposals by certain parties that the government will appeal Nur Fitri's case for a lesser sentence, what more, using taxpayers money for the purpose. "Nur Fitri was on trial in Britain under the laws of the country and given a chance to defend himself and he pleaded guilty. We must respect the law of the country and anyone found guilty must be punished," he said in his latest najibrazak.com blog posting, Thursday night. The International Business Times had reported last week that Nur Fitri was arrested during a raid at his home in Queensborough Terrace near Hyde Park on Nov 20 last year. Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), which funded Nur Fitri's studies at the Imperial College in London, has since terminated the scholarship upon his conviction on April 30. However, Najib agreed that Nur Fitri must be given counselling so that he would not repeat such an offence in the future. "It must be done to enable the individual to be accepted into the community again," he said. --BERNAMA