GMI : No ISA detention under Pak Lah is a blatant lie

The Abolish ISA Movement (Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA, GMI) strongly refutes the statement by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, who said that there has been no detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over as Prime Minister in 2003 (The Star, 22nd October 2007).

The statement by the Minister is a blatant lie. Since Abdullah Ahmad Badawi assumed office of the Prime Minister in October 2003, the ISA has continuously been used.

The statistics of arrests and renewal of detention orders under the ISA during Abdullah Badawi’s premiership thus far are as follows:

Year
New Arrests
Renewed Detention Orders
Total in Kamunting

2004
12
25
101

2005
16
30
107

2006
20
18
90

2007 (as of October)
9
Statistics not available
90

(GMI Monitoring)

In this year alone, four individuals were arrested for allegedly spreading rumors of racial riots in Johor Bahru recently. Another five were arrested for alleged involvement in Jemaah Islamiah - Mohd Faizul Bin Haji Samsudin, Mohd Amir Bin Mohd Hanafiah, Ahmad Kamil Bin Mohd Hanafiah, Zulkifli Bin Abu Bakar and Mohd Noor bin Abu Bakar.

The Minister’s statement is especially factually wrong when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as the Internal Security Minister has personally signed the 2-year renewal detention orders of 73 ISA detainees since he came into power.

Many of these detainees are now having their detention without trial entering into the fifth or sixth years in Kamunting detention camp.GMI is also shocked and regrets that the Minister said that “Until today we have no opportunity to discuss this particular matter and we do want to know more about it.”

Since 2001, GMI, a coalition of 83 NGOs and community groups, have been actively campaigning against the ISA. Numerous reports and memoranda have been handed over to Suhakam, the PM’s office and the Internal Affairs Ministry to abolish the ISA.

GMI also wishes to highlight that besides press statements, at least more than three memoranda have been sent to the Prime Minister and his Ministry, the Internal Security Ministry during the past 3 years - none of which has been replied.

It is highly regrettable that now, with the judgment of Malek Hussein, the minister has misled the public by trying to project an image that the government of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is less abusive with the cruel and draconian ISA.

GMI would like to point out to the Minister and Prime Minister that, as of today, there are no less than 90 ISA detainees continue to languish in the Kamunting Detention Camp.GMI would like to remind the Minister that the ISA is not only unfair and unjust to the detainees, but has also become one of the main root-causes of corruption, abuse of power and police brutality.

The lack of transparency and accountability and the secrecy of the use of the ISA provide a more than perfect environment for corruption, abuse of power and torture by the police as in evident and confirmed in the judgment of Malek Hussin’s civil suit case recently.

GMI strongly urges the Government to respect the right to trial for those who have been detained under the ISA in Malaysia. “Emergency” laws in Malaysia disregard human rights and violate the safeguards contained in the Federal Constitution and international human rights law.

Therefore, GMI calls for the following:The Minister and the Government to retract the previous statement or comments and make a public apology, especially to the ISA detainees and the families.

Abolish the ISA and all forms of detention without trial; charge all detainees in an open court or else release them immediately and unconditionally. Heed the call of SUHAKAM, the independent body which safeguards human rights in Malaysia, to review and abolish ISA.

Numerous international human rights bodies have also voiced the same for many years.A

bolish ISA!
Release All ISA Detainees!
Close Down Kamunting Detention Camp!

Yours sincerely,
Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh
Chairman GMI

http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/letters.php?blogid=5&archive=2007-10