The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has called on the prime minister and home minister to immediately release Dr D Jeyakumar, currently detained for nearly a month under the Emergency Ordinance since his arrest on July 2.

They said the government should instead charge the detainees in open court so that the latter may have the chance to defend themselves.

penang psm dinner 181210 jeyakumar devaraj The PSM member and Sungai Siput MP ( right ) is a life member of the association of 13,000 members from the medical profession.

“During the past few weeks, the MMA has received numerous phone calls, emails and messages from many of our members expressing their concern and distress about Dr Jeyakumar’s arrest and continued detention,” said MMA president Dr Mary Suma Cardosa in a statement today.

She noted that during the month-long detention period, Jeyakumar had to be taken to the hospital twice.

"We are very concerned about his health, which may be adversely affected by the conditions of his detention," she said.

Cardosa adds that the World Medical Association (WMA), of which MMA is a member, has also sent the BN leaders a similar call.

The president-elect of the international association called on the PM to “respect international fair trial standards and immediately release all activists or charge them with a recognisable criminal offence”.

The international body reminded the government to ensure that Jeyakumar and the other detainees were not "tortured or otherwise ill-treate, and more generally, that they are treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings, as stated in international principles for the treatment of prisoner".

On June 25 30 PSM members including Jeyakumar were detained at Sungai Dua toll plaza for allegedly “waging war against the king”.   

They were released on July 2, but Jeyakumar and five others were immediately re-arrested under the Emergency Ordinance (EO).

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