Citizens International is very concerned about the latest arrest of three suspected militants under the Internal Security Act (ISA) on Wednesday, 11th August 2010.
The police said they believe that they have ties with the respected Indonesian ulama, Ustaz Abu Bakar Bashir who was recently arrested on charges of helping plan terrorist attacks in Jakarta.
The US and Australian governments have been putting pressure on the Indonesian government to arrest and detain him after Indonesia’s Supreme Court freed him of charges of conspiracy in the Bali attack for lack of evidence.
Indonesia’s anti-terrorism police unit Detachment 88, responsible for Ustaz Bashir’s arrest, is very much under the influence of these two foreign governments.
According to our Inspector General of Police, Musa Hassan, the two Malaysians, Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Junaid and Samsul Hamidi, and an Indonesian, Mustawan Ahbab, were detained ‘as their suspected militant activities were considered detrimental to the safety of the country’.
He has not revealed the nature of their ‘militant activities’ and in what way they affect our nation’s security.
No democracy would tolerate interference with the liberty of a person, a most valuable human right, on the basis of mere suspicion that his activities are detrimental to national security.
The police must produce convincing evidence of such activities to justify his detention.
We believe that the detainees are being detained on the basis of intelligence provided by foreign intelligence agencies - the US' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), British MI6 and Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS).
Earlier this year twelve foreign students from Muslim states were arrested and deported on the request of these foreign intelligence agencies.
The reputation of these intelligence agencies has been completely discredited after the Iraq War.
Based on their fabricated intelligence, thousands of people, largely Muslims, were detained in the US and Britain after the 9/11 attack.
Most of them were released after spending many months in prison without any charge being preferred against them. Of those charged only a handful were convicted, and their convictions have come under severe criticism.
These abuses of human rights are the consequence of our government allying itself with the US on its War on Terrorism.
In May 2002, Malaysia and the U.S signed a joint declaration to fight terrorism in Southeast Asia.
On 1st July 2003 the South East Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism was set up in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia had also allowed U.S military planes to fly over our airspace during its Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and assisted the US in arresting and handing over suspected terrorists wanted by the US.
Malaysia and other Muslim countries, by supporting the US in its Global 'War on Terrorism', will only contribute to disunity and destabilization in their own societies.
The War on Terrorism has proved to be a war on Muslims and Islam and is opposed by Muslims and others who believe in democracy and justice. Just look at the countries that have come under US military attack or threat – Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Iran.
The US considers national liberation movements Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations and our senior police officers, trained by US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), are taught this perversion of truth.
Why should we detain or deport those who support the liberation struggles in the Muslim countries?
We have nothing in common with the US in fighting global terrorism, if such a creature exists.
By allowing the US, Australian and British governments to interfere in our internal security institutions, and following policies adopted by the US Administration and Congress, our sovereignty is being seriously compromised. The majority of our people resent such interference.
The Global War on Terrorism has been discredited to such a degree that US President Barrack Hussein Obama does not even mention it.
But the policy and the arrangements and agreements made under it still continue.
The time is ripe to abandon this policy and to treat terrorism as a crime to be dealt with under national and international laws.
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), entrusted with the duty to uphold and promote human rights, should urgently investigate the recent arrests under the ISA and issue a public statement on its findings.
It should call for the release of those detained or to be given an opportunity to defend themselves in a court of law.
Citizens International calls on the government to review its policy on terrorism and dissociate itself from the US War on Global Terrorism.
We appeal to Suhakam to organize a public consultation on terrorism from a human rights perspective and make recommendations to the government on dealing with it.
The writer is chairperson of Citizens International.
