Kuala Lumpur - The Malaysian government on Sunday released 13 people who had been held under a draconian security law, some for suspected involvement in terror networks and others for allegedly posing a threat to national security.

The 13 men had been held under the Internal Security Act, which was set up more than 50 years ago by Malaysia's former British rulers to fight a communist insurgency.

Of the 13, three foreigners - Myanmar nationals Amir Hussain and San Khaing, and Indian national Sundaraj Vijay - were the first to be released.

The trio, who have been detained since 2007 for falsifying travel documents, will be sent back to their countries, officials said.

Eight other men had been detained for allegedly being linked to international terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, which was responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings on the Indonesian island.

The other two detainees were leaders of an outlawed Hindu group fighting alleged marginalization by Malaysia's primarily ethnic Malay government.

Newly appointed Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the release of the 13 detainees during his maiden speech as premier late Friday.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar was also quoted as saying the government felt the 13 men were no longer a threat to society.

"The step was taken to reduce the number of ISA detainees and also they had been successfully rehabilitated," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

The security law allows for indefinite detention without trial.

Najib had also promised to review the law, which has been strongly criticized local and international rights groups who say it is being used by the government to crack down on dissent. (dpa)