KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia has announced plans to tighten its security laws after a judge ordered the release of an Islamic militant suspect, who was immediately re-arrested.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Rais Yatim told the New Sunday Times that the government would amend the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows indefinite detention without trial, to curb judicial scrutiny of the reasons for detention.

"To me this is a dangerous trend. We have to be quick to redress this inadequacy, we cannot allow a laissez faire attitude in security matters," he said.

The detainee, 45-year-old Nasharuddin Nasir, is accused of being a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) organisation which is suspected of involvement in last month's bomb blast in Bali which killed nearly 200 people.

No evidence

He was arrested under the ISA on April 17 along with 14 others, but a High Court judge ordered his release Friday on the grounds that there was no evidence against him.

Nasharuddin was freed Saturday from Kamunting Detention Centre but immediately re-arrested and served with a new two-year detention order a move which outraged human rights activists, who regularly accuse the government of using the ISA to stifle political opposition.

"His re-arrest shows up the lawlessness of the state and reveals how it terrorises citizens even after they have been cleared by the court," rights group Aliran said in a statement.

Nashruddin's case was the second time in two months that the judiciary has ruled in favour of suspects held under the ISA.

In a landmark decision on September 6, the highest judicial body in the country, the Federal Court, ruled that the initial detention of six supporters of jailed former Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was illegal.

Review of ISA

But Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also home minister, later said he was satisfied with the reasons for their detention and they would not be released.

Rais said that for more than 60 years national security had been deemed to be a matter for the judgement of the executive a reference to the introduction of the ISA by former British colonial rulers to fight a communist insurgency.

He said he expected to complete a review of the ISA by the end of the month, focussing on the need to keep matters of state security out of court. AFP