KUALA LUMPUR — Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar claims he has been made a national security target, with his movements under surveillance and his phone tapped.
In a statement published on the website of PAS organ HarakahDaily and on social media, the party vice-president said he has been labeled as a “travel control office/order” (TCO) case in the country’s borden control system.
As evidence of this, he said he is taken aside each time he enters and exits Peninsula Malaysia’s borders, and a call is made to obtain approval for his cross-border movement. He said this applies even when travelling to Sabah and Sarawak, since the third quarter of last year.
“It is as if I am a dangerous criminal linked to a syndicate or gangsters, or as if I am a persona non grata, in my own homeland,” Samsuri said.
He said the TCO label he carried was how the authorities “marked” people they considered at risk, even if no offence had been committed.
“This status allows all the person’s movements, communications, and interactions of to be monitored comprehensively, silently, and continuously.
“It is carried out in the name of ‘national security’ or ‘for political stability’, but in reality it is used as a political tool and an easy way to collect political information from opponent,” Samsuri added.
He said he knew he was constantly being watched and all his movements, including people he met and what they talked about, are reported “by a special branch” and reported to a “political master”.
“Is my phone tapped? Of course. 100%.
Samsuri said he knew all this after laying a “few simple tests and baits”.
“The presence of operatives and their elements are very noticeable and easy to identify through the vehicles they use, static cars, the way they communicate, pedestrians (working as spotters), and so on.”
Samsuri, who is also Kemaman MP, said he knew of federal lawmakers who planned to raise alleged abuse of the TCO status in the next Dewan Rakyat session, which begins in June.
He claimed that besides him, another “major opposition figure” is also under a TCO label.
“This is a misuse of government resources as a political weapon…If this is allowed to continue, I would not be surprised if the same instrument is also being used against the public, NGOs, independent bodies, and anyone who has views that do not align with the ruling party.” – April 10, 2025