The riot at the Kamunting detention camp yesterday erupted after 12 Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees prevented officers from carrying out checks in their block, said Deputy Internal Security Minister Chia Kwang Chye today.

He said the inmates, nine of whom were foreigners, were armed with self-made weapons. All of them are suspected members of terror network Jemaah Islamiah (JI).

"They were two Filipinos, one Thai, six Indonesians and three Malaysians," he told a press conference at Parliament lobby.

According to the minister, the rioting inmates threw stones, molotov cocktails and knives at the officers.

He said that among the items seized from the inmates were RM900 cash, mobile phones, wires, sharp objects, including a badminton racquet which had been made into a weapon.

"These (items) prove why they had denied prison officers from conducting the spot checks.." he added.

Officers injured

Relating the incident, the minister said at about 9am yesterday, 74 prison officers were sent to conduct a spot check. The riot started when they checked the second block where the 12 were held.

He added that some 20 officers were injured in the riot, with some suffering from breathing difficulties due to the petrol bombs.

As for the detainees, two are still being warded at the Taiping Hospital while the others were discharged after outpatient treatment.

Chia said the detainees involved in the riot are now being held in a separate room and may be denied visitation rights.

Asked if the riot could have erupted because of the detainees's dissatisfaction with their detention orders being extended, the minister said this will be investigated.

"I don't want to speculate. We will find out more. But on the (living) condition at the prison, we didn't receive serious complaints," he said.

Meanwhile, Chia defended the camp authority for not providing the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) with information on the riot yesterday.

"The riot was settled at about 3.30pm, then prison officers were getting things in order as to get accurate information and approval," he said.

"May be next time they (Suhakam) should get the information from the prisons headquarters or the Internal Security Ministry," he added.

Yesterday, Suhakam commissioner Prof Hamdan Adnan expressed disappointment with the camp authorities for not disclosing any information pertaining to the riot.