Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang is wondering if the latest wave of arrests and invoking of security laws will lead to another Internal Security Act (ISA) crackdown.

Describing it as a 'rising tide of repression' under Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration, he asked: "Is Malaysia returning to the period where police brutalities and violation of human rights are routine occurrences?"

Lim was commenting on the arrest of 15 anti-toll hike protestors outside the IOI shopping mall in Puchong yesterday.

"It would appear that the police and Abdullah's administration have taken a policy decision to disregard human rights and give the green-light for police violence and brutality to clamp down on peaceful protests," he said in a statement.

The veteran politician also noted that the Police Act, Printing Presses and Publications Act and the Official Secrets Act (OSA) have been invoked recently.

"Will the ISA be the next draconian law to be invoked and is a second Operation Lalang of critics and dissenters of the Abdullah Administration already on the cards?" he said.

In 1987, Lim was among the 106 people arrested under ISA in an operation codenamed Ops Lalang

The police are also currently investigating four opposition leaders under the OSA for exposing a classified toll concession agreement. The four are Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) information chief Tian Chua, PKR treasurer Khalid Ibrahim, DAP NGO bureau head Ronnie Liu and PAS treasurer Dr Hatta Ramli.

Stop the intimidation

In a related development, rights group Suaram also condemned yesterday's arrests.

"The arrests are tantamount to a total disrespect of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees the people's right to assemble peacefully," said its coordinator Chang Lih Kang in a statement today.

Among those arrested were PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub, PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah, Tian Chua and PKR former Youth chief Ezam Mohd Nor.

This was the fourth in a series of protests held against the increase in toll rates for five highways in the Klang Valley effective Jan 1.

Two weeks ago, the police arrested 21 people at a protest at the Batu 11 toll plaza along the Cheras-Kajang highway. There were also allegations of police brutality.

Chang said the government must stop all forms of intimidation against the public and respect the freedoms of assembly and expression.

He also described the police investigations against the four opposition leaders who revealed the toll concession agreement, as a violation of the fundamental right to information.

"We also reiterate our demand that the government immediately make public all toll concession agreements and pass a comprehensive freedom of information law," he added.