Police had not committed 17 forms of torture against a reformasi activist during his detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard today.

Bukit Aman special branch officer Mohd Yunus Daud denied that he and his colleagues had assaulted ex-ISA detainee Abdul Malek Hussin while he was held under the security act for 57 days in September 1998.

During cross-examination by counsel R Sivarasa today, the witness - who was the arresting officer then - said he was unfamiliar with the procedure of arrest and lock-up rules although he has been with the police force since 1988.

Yunus had served at the police training centre and five years at the Cheras district police headquarters before he was transferred to the special branch in 1997.

Counsel: Did you receive any training related to the legal process and arresting procedure?

Witness: I never had any training.

Counsel: Training on arresting procedure?

Witness: Part of them.

Counsel: Were you informed on the lock-up rules?

Witness: No

Counsel: So what were the general duty that you discharged during your five years at Cheras police district headquarters?

Witness: Patrolling and manning the operation room

Counsel: Were you involved in any arrest of suspect within that five years at Cheras?

Witness: No

Counsel: Were you involved in any interrogation (within that five years)?

Witness: No

Missing notes

Mohd Yunus also testified that he lost his notes two years ago which recorded "certain" details of the arrest of Abdul Malek when he could not answer questions on the arrest details by the counsel.

Sivarasa then asked how he could remember several particular times exactly as stated in his witness statement earlier but not to his questions of other timing pertaining to the matter.

At the onset of the hearing today, the first respondent named in the suit, special branch officer Borhan Daud was re-examined by DPP Kamarudin Mohd Said. The witness who had testified earlier had also denied he had assaulted Malek.

Kamarudin was assisted by Isnan Ishak and Morhaji Selamat while Sivarasa appeared together with assisting counsel M Moganambal.

The hearing before Justice Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus continues tomorrow.

In 1999, Malek filed an unprecedented civil suit following his release from the ISA to challenge various forms of torture he allegedly sustained during the detention. He was also seeking a compensation of RM30 million in damages.

He had named Borhan, the then inspector general-of-police Abdul Rahim Noor and the Malaysian government respectively as the respondents.

Various forms of torture

Among his complaints of torture, Malek claimed that he had told the court in previous hearings that he was stripped naked in an air-conditioned room, blindfolded during interrogation, physically assaulted up to 60 times, beaten until he was unconscious, forced to drink urine and threatened to be injected with the HIV/ Aids virus.

He also said that he was threatened not to file any habeas corpus to challenge his detention or to make any official complaint over the assault while under detention or after release.

Malek testified earlier that he witnessed the former IGP punching him at his chin in the interrogation room when his blindfold accidentally dropped.

The hearing which began last September is expected to call seven witnesses.

A number of activists who took to the streets were detained under the ISA during the height of reformasi, sparked by the sacking of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

Opposition leaders and activists Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, Tian Chua, Saari Sungib, Dr Badrulamin Bahron, Hishamuddin Rais and Lokman Adam, popularly known as the 'ISA 6', were also held for two years under the act.