Malaysian Razali Kasan was taken to hospital for treatment as he was too weak to continue fasting.

 

KUALA LUMPUR: One Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee who was on hunger strike has been forced to call off his protest as he was too weak.

Malaysian Razali Kasan, who started his hunger strike last Thursday, was taken to a hospital briefly and ordered to eat as he was too weak.

This was relayed to FMT by Lawyers for Liberty representative, Mohd Afiq Mohd Noor, who visited some of the detainees this morning in Kamunting.

“The camp warden and some detainees like Malaysian Fadzullah Abdul Razak told us that he was taken to the hospital where the doctor told him to eat.

“Razali was not there at the meeting this morning and is back at camp now,” Mohd Afiq said.

Mohd Afiq added that the detainees said they could not communicate with Razali as he has been kept in solitary confinement.

This brings the number of detainees on hunger strike to eight. They are protesting for some information regarding the status of their detention.

Although in April Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that he will personally review the cases of these detainees, there has been little progress over the matter.

This has been a source of frustration for detainees, their family and anti-ISA advocate groups.

They argue that with the lapse of the old law, there needs to be some update over the status of the detainees.

Emergency motion shot down

Meanwhile in Parliament, Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia today said the detainees held under the ISA must serve their full sentence under the lapsed law even after it has been replaced by the new Security Offences Act 2012.

He added that the release of these detainees strictly falls under the purview of the Home Minister.

“Under the provisions of the new security law, detention period under the old ISA is still valid unless the minister decided to release them…,” he said.

Pandikar said this when he shot down an emergency motion by Bakri MP, Er Teck Hwa, to discuss the torture allegations of the ISA detainees in Kamunting.

He said the matter was not urgent as Suhakam officers have already visited the detainees over the matter.

He added that “some action has been taken” to address the issue.

Er had also asked to discuss the case of Iraqi detainee, Sami Hammd, who claimed he was tortured including having chilli paste rubbed on his genitals.

Pandikar said this was a matter concerning national security and it was not logical for it to be discussed in Parliament.

This morning, a group of 50 people protested in front of Parliament house against the torture techniques and the continued detention of these prisoners.

Tarani Palani | 28.6.2012

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/06/28/isa-detainee-forced-to-call-off-hunger-strike/