Fifty-three years after the formation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963, the country is now able to counter all forms of threats - including terrorism and extremism - from penetrating into the country.

History proved that Malaysia not only succeeded in countering such threats, but also rehabilitate or deradicalise those associated with communist insurgency and religious groups, like Al-Maunah and Al-Arqam.

Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the deradicalisation process carried out by the government so far, has been able to eliminate threats posed by such groups.

"Also important is preventive measures, including enforcement of existing laws, exchange of information among security teams and continuous monitoring of activities that could pose a threat to the country," he told Bernama .

He said Malaysia would continue to be cautious and step up prevention, while maintaining peace and order in the country so that the people would feel safe.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Malaysia's success in the deradicalisation of extremists and terrorists, which stands at 95 percent, has gained world recognition.

This is evident when Malaysia was selected by the United States to be the counter-messaging centre to address violent extremism.

Next week, Malaysia is hosting a two-day international conference on anti-radicalism and combating extremism, which would also involve the participation of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member countries.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Ahli Sunnah Waljamaah Organisation (Aswaja) president Zamihan Mat Zin said the government's success in implementing the deradicalisation process had saved the country from various threats.

Zamihan, who is an officer at the Home Ministry, said a total of 8,883 people - who were detained under the now defunct Internal Security Act (ISA) - had been rehabilitated under the process.

The process is carried out by agencies like the Prisons Department or the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) on those detained for their extremist ideologies to rehabilitate them, as well as prevent them from spreading the ideology to others.

- Bernama