Malaysia Expected to Enact Severe Penalties to Counter Chemical Weapons Proliferation

Malaysia plans to enact new laws imposing harsh penalties for production and acquisition of chemical weapons, the country’s foreign minister said today, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, July 9).

“It is just a matter of carrying out our responsibility in helping to reduce the proliferation of chemical weapons,” said Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar.

Parliament is expected to enact the laws — which would call for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a $263,000 fine for developing or possessing chemical weapons — by March, said Albar.

Imports and exports of toxic chemicals would also be monitored by a new national agency, according to AP (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Dec. 7).

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