Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) commissioner Prof Hamdan Adnan has refuted media reports quoting him as calling for the segregation of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) suspects from other Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees.

"I did not make any recommendation for the segregation of JI detainees," he said when contacted yesterday.

Hamdan and another commissioner N Siva Subramaniam were quoted by the New Straits Times and Berita Harian as saying that it was important to isolate the terror suspects. Hamdan was also alleged to have likened the detainees to 'McGyver'.

(McGyver was a popular television series in the 80s about a government sleuth who used everyday items to escape from harm's way).

"I did not say that. I just told them ( the reporters) that prison officers had told me the detainees acted like McGyver," said the commissioner.

Rectify reports

Hamdan called on the newspapers to rectify their reports but ruled out the possibility of any further action.

"I think Suhakam has more important things to do," he stressed.

The commissioner also denied that he had referred to the JI detainees as 'terrorists' as reported.

He said Suhakam is not in a position to classify who are 'terrorists' and added that only the police can make such distinctions.

"The police have not made any conclusions yet. Otherwise the detainees would have been charged," he added.

The ISA allows authorities to detain those suspected of undermining national security indefinitely without trial. The detainees are held at the Kamunting detention camp in Perak.

Last week, a riot broke out in the camp when 12 JI inmates prevented officers from carrying out a check on their block.

The officers later claimed that they found, among other things, a cache of homemade weapons and handphones in their possession.

However, it was clarified later that the 'homemade' weapons were scissors and other instruments issued to the detainees to make handicrafts.