FAC News - Friday, June 21, 2002 8:18 AM

SUHAKAM INQUIRY ON THE ISA: We are scared of telling the truth, say ISA detainees

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia’s (Suhakam) public inquiry, which was held over two days on 18 and 19 June 2002, was told that the Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees are fearful of telling the whole story.

The inquiry was called to investigate the treatment the ISA detainees were receiving plus the conditions at the Kamunting Detention Centre as demanded by the Kamunting 6 – National Justice Party Youth Leader Ezam Mohd Nor, Saari Sungib, Dr Badrulamin Bahron, Tian Chua, Lokman Noor Adam and Hishamuddin Rais.

One detainee, who was bolder in his revelation and did not care if he was detained for ten years for being so, said that what the detainees have been telling the inquiry so far are but just some of the stories. Many more remain untold as the detainees are scared of reprisal from the authorities if they reveal all.

According to the detainees, they had been threatened with longer detentions if they “complain”, so many prefer to say nice things to ensure an early release.

In fact, almost all the detainees who testified on the first day said they were being well treated and had no complaints. One even said detention in the Kamunting Detention Centre was “like heaven” compared to the initial 60 days detention period.

Another detainee said he would only reveal the truth if he could speak privately to Suhakam without the presence of the Special Branch officers and the prison authorities. (The Special Branch officers and camp guards outnumbered the members of the media during the two-day inquiry).

Others said that the Special Branch had threatened to arrest their wives and children if they did not “cooperate”. In fact, the wife of one detainee was arrested two months ago but was released after her lawyers filed a Writ of Habeas Corpus.

She was released just before her Habeas Corpus application was due to be heard by the court raising suspicion that her arrest was merely aimed at frightening her husband into cooperating and that she had not actually committed any crime.

This “example” has frightened the other detainees into silence and they prefer not to “rock the boat”. Also, the fact that some ISA detainees have been under detention for almost two years now and are hoping that they would be released soon makes it even more disadvantageous for them to squeal lest their detention gets extended another two years, as ISA detentions have no fixed time limit and can be extended indefinitely.