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On the eve of Malaysia’s 50 years of Independence celebration on 31st August 2007, six more people have been reportedly arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) was informed that five men were detained under Section 28, ISA on suspicion of spreading rumours about the race riots in Pasir Gudang and Masai in Johor. According to the News Straits Times (NST, 30th August 2007), the five men were believed to be aged 25 to 36. However, no details of the detainees and their whereabouts were revealed.

Another ISA arrest was made in Teluk Intan, Perak at 11 am on 29th August. The person is known as Mohd Noor bin Abu Bakar, aged 33 and is alleged to be a Jemaah Islamiyaah (JI) member. Mohd Noor bin Abu Bakar is a teacher. According to the family Mohd Noor bin Abu Bakar is a very active member in GERAKAN, a component party of Barisan Nasional.

The ISA has been repeatedly used to clampdown on the democratic movement and opposition leaders in the country. Many have languished in detention without trial for years and suffered inhumane torture and treatment in detention.

GMI/AIM strongly condemn the use of the draconian ISA in making the arrest as any form of detention without trial is in violation of basic human rights and blatantly circumvents the rule of law.

WHY CAMPAIGN FOR RELEASE OF ISA DETAINEES AND ABOLITION OF ISA?

1. Since 1960, thousands of people, including trade unionist, student leaders, labour activists, political activisst, religious groups, academicians, and NGO activists have been arrested under the ISA. The ISA has been consistently used against people who criticize the government and defend human rights.
2. ISA is extremely arbitrary and has nothing to do with national security. It has further confirmed that the ISA is only a political tool to silent dissidents and critics of the government.
3. The ISA provides for ‘preventive detention’ without trial for an indefinite period. It violates fundamental rights such as the right to trial, the right to legal counsel, the right to defend oneself in open court and the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. It goes against the principles of justice and undermines the rule of law.
4. The ISA is immoral and cruel. Former detainees have complained that the police or the Special Branch applying 59 forms of mental and physical torture, among them round-the-clock interrogation depriving detainees of sleep, stripped naked during interrogation, forced to urinate in a bottle, forced to drink spittle of interrogators, beard shaved and burned, ordered to make tea, massage the interrogators, threat to arrest their family members, kicked and beaten up etc.

ACTIONS NEEDED
We would like to request your organization to support our campaign by taking the following actions:

1. Send letters to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to urge him to stop arresting people under ISA, free all the detainees in Kamunting or charge them in court and abolish the draconian ISA. C.C. and send the letter to the National Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM), Secretariat GMI, Kamunting Detention Camp and Inspector General of Police.
2. Send motivational postcards to the detainees at the camp or the families to encourage their struggle against the ISA to the Secretariat or to Kamunting Detention Camp.

Letters and Postcards should be sent to:

Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Security,
Prime Minister’s Office Malaysia,
Perdana Putra Building,
Federal Government Administrative Centre,
62502 Putrajaya,
Selangor, Malaysia

Tel: +603 8888 6000
Fax: +603 8888 3444
Email: ppm@pmo.gov.my

Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman,
Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM),
29th Floor, Menara Tun Razak,
Jalan Raja Laut,
50350 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: +603 2612 5600
Email: humanrights@suhakam.org.my

Camp Commander,
Kamunting Detention Camp,
Batu 4, Kamunting,
34009, Taiping,
Perak, Malaysia

Tel: +60 5883 7836
Fax: +60 5883 7010

Inspector General of Police,
Tan Sri Musa Hassan,
Bukit Aman,
50560, Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603 2262 6222
Fax: +603 2273 9602
Email: rmp@rmp.gov.my

Secretariat
Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA/Alobish ISA Movement,
433A, 1st Floor, Jalan 5/46,
Gasing Indah, 46000,
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Tel: +603 7784 3525
Fax: +603 7784 3526
Email: suaram@suaram.net
Website: www.suaram.net