At least nine Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees were allegedly beaten up at the Kamunting detention centre in Perak this morning, a human rights group said.

Abolish ISA Movement (AIM) secretary Chang Lih Kang said that a source from the Kamunting camp had informed AIM that the detainees were beaten up during a spot check by the prison authority.

"We were told that four of the nine detainees were bleeding while being handcuffed," he said, adding that the detainees were taken to an unknown destination now.

They were detained for alleged involvement in Southeast Asian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah (JI). Camp officials were not available for comment.

Meanwhile, the Kamunting camp authority was taken to task for denying the Malaysian Human Rights Commission's (Suhakam) right to probe into the matter.

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Suhakam commissioner Dr Hamdan Adnan said they were denied information of the actual situation in the camp now.

"Our investigating officer could not obtain any information despite making several attempts to contact the camp commander," he told malaysiakini this afternoon.

"I am very upset as to why they did not give us any information. This has not happened before. If they have done nothing wrong, then they should have nothing to hide," said the frustrated Hamdan.

He said that Suhakam will keep a close watch on the matter and the camp authority should understand that "we are the human rights commission formed under an act of Parliament".

"Nobody should go beyond their power, no detainees should be beaten up by anybody. Action should be taken against those who have breached the law," Hamdan pointed out.