The two Malaysians are still in the dark over their fate despite the repealing of the ISA.
PETALING JAYA: Two Malaysians detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Kamunting have resumed their hunger strike in protest against the lack of progress over their release.
Although the ISA has been repealed and replaced with the Security Offences Act, there is still no update on the fate of those detained under the ISA.
This has been a major source of frustration to the detainees, their families and anti-ISA pressure groups.
The two – Mohd Fadzullah Abdul Razak and Razali Kasan – have resumed their hunger strike yesterday.
Fadzullah was detained in 2010 while Razali in 2011.
One of the lawyers representing all the detainees, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, said the authorities prevented them from meeting Fadzullah this morning as he had broken prison rules by conducting the hunger strike.
“Because of this, they said that he [Fadzullah] had no access to the lawyers but we argued and met with him eventually,” Fadiah Nadwa said, adding that they met 10 detainees today, including two from Iran and Indonesia.
Asked if more detainees will join in the fast, Fadiah Nadwa said that according to Indonesian detainee, Mustawan Ahbab, all the detainees were ready to join the strike until they are freed.
“There was a lot of frustration today because they [detainees] said that Suhakam had visited them several times but there was no news of their release from the Home Ministry.
“Mustawan said that all the detainees agreed to continue the fast,” she told FMT.
Solitary confinement
In mid-May, seven detainees, mostly foreigners, staged a week-long hunger strike due to the lack of news over their release. Fadzullah was the only Malaysian who participated in it.
Previously, the detainees have threatened to continue the strike by the end of this month if there was still no news about their release.
The fate of these detainees will be determined by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein who has said in April that he will personally look through the individual cases.
Fadzullah has been placed in solitary confinement over the past two months, and according to Fadiah Nadwa, he appeared weak when met today.
Recently, Fadzullah’s mother, Hadijah CP Veeravu, told FMT at Parliament house that the strike would continue, otherwise “how else can he be released?”
She was there with Gerakan Anti-ISA which had earlier called for a press conference to demand the release of all 45 detainees in Kamunting.
Tarani Palani | 22nd June 2012
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/06/22/isa-detainees-resume-hunger-strike/