When the Sultan of Selangor opens the new session of the state assembly tomorrow, Kota Alam Shah representative M Manoharan want very much to be in the chamber.

police tortured victim 110107 lawyer M Manoharan Detained since Dec 13 last year under the Internal Security Act (ISA), Manoharan has appealed to the Sultan to intervene and make this possible.

In a five-page handwritten press statement, Manoharan said he was informed last Friday by the Kamunting detention camp commander that his request to attend the opening of the session “has been refused”.

The lawyer said the grounds cited - that of security and the fact that previous ISA detainees (Chian Heng Kai and Chan Kok Kit) had undergone a similar rehabilitation process - were pathetic and illogical.

“Once again, the relevant authorities have expressed indifference. How do I serve my constituents while in detention?” he asked.

“My presence before the assembly becomes absolutely necessary and my absence and the refusal to grant permission despite my request certainly will threaten the democratic process.

“I therefore appeal to His Majesty, the Sultan of Selangor and His Majesty’s government to intervene and ask for my immediate release.”

'Act rationally'

Manoharan, who was elected to the state seat while under detention, described the reasons as grossly unreasonable.

“It would be disrespectful to the ruler and the assembly if I was absent. I therefore ask the federal government to reconsider my request and act rationally in this matter.

“In addition, I ask the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat government to vigorously condemn the act, behaviour, conduct and the fashion in which this matter is (being) handled by the Barisan Nasional government.”

teng chang khim While other Selangor assemblypersons were sworn in on April 22 in Shah Alam, Manoharan took his oath before Selangor Speaker Teng Chang Khim (left) at the detention camp in Taiping, Perak, on May 8.

Manoharan was arrested with four other leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) shortly after a street rally on Nov 25 which drew some 30,000 Indian Malaysians to protest their “discrimination and marginalisation” since colonial times.

He has questioned the grounds of his detention, saying he is no threat to national security and that his alleged links to terrorists are malicious and false.

On May 14, the Federal Court threw out their appeal against the two-year detention order. The other Hindraf leaders are P Uthayakumar, V Ganabatirau, R Kenghadharan and T Vasantha Kumar.