1,000 rally against 'inhumane' ISA in Kamunting

Clutching a candlelight each, some 1,000 Malaysians from all walks of life, age and across the country marched for about four kilometres and held an hour long peaceful anti-ISA vigil outside the Kamunting Detention Centre in Taiping, Perak last night.

In one of the biggest anti-ISA assembly organised by the Anti-ISA Movement (GMI), demonstrators displayed anti-ISA banners and called on the government to immediately repeal the draconian Internal Security Act 1960 and release all detainees at the detention centre.

Although the riot police was present, it was not deployed and traffic flow was unperturbed.

Police set up several road blocks to check on passing vehicles between the North-South Expressway toll plazas in Kamunting and Changkat Jering, and until the detention camp.

But determined citizens were unhindered and thronged to the location in numbers, some in cars, buses and motorcycles, and some just walked.

GMI chairperson Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh led the peaceful march, which ranged from senior citizens to children, beginning at 8pm from nearby SM Teknik Taiping to the centre.

Using a loud hailer, he condemned ISA as a brutal and cruel security law, which deprived Malaysians their fundamental rights to defend themselves in a court of law.

"This night's rally is to send a message that ISA has been a dark chapter in our system of justice. We have awoken at night with a light of hope at the end of the tunnel to free the detainees.

"ISA has no mercy and inhumane.

"It must be repealed, all detainees must be freed and this centre must be closed down immediately," the usually mild-mannered Syed Ibrahim exclaimed to the averring crowd.

Vigil supported by state governments

Presently, Kamunting reportedly houses 70 detainees, some of them have been incarcerated for more than six years, with a number of them allegedly not given adequate medical care.

Among those held are five leaders of Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and a number of members of alleged terror group Jemaah Islamiah.

GMI campaign director Norlaila Othman's husband Mat Sab Mat Satray, 45, is one such alleged member of the terror group and he had been locked up in Kamunting for six years now.

Norlaila narrated to the crowd on her failed efforts to free her husband through legal ways and means.

"Now the only option other affected women and I have is to take part in anti-ISA activism," she said.

The ISA has been a bone of contention between human rights activists and the government for decades.

The colonial era act was initially used to deal with communist insurgents.

The rally last night was organised by Perak GMI in collaboration with national GMI. It is learnt that this vigil received blessings from the Pakatan Rakyat governments in Perak and Selangor.

The Selangor government has even sponsored a bus load of anti-ISA activists to join the vigil.

Among those in the crowd were Perak GMI chairperson Megat Shariffudin, its secretary R Suguna, Penang social activists BK Ong, K Stanley Sudhagaran from Penang Office for Human Development, Lau Shu Shi from Suaram and former Communist Party of Malaya secretary-general Chin Peng's lawyer Darshan Singh Khaira.

Bar Council's Human Rights Committees members Darawaheda Rufin and Siti Kassim were present as observers.

Police give in

Earlier, upon arriving near the centre, Syed Ibrahim was greeted by the Perak senior executive councillor and DAP state chairperson Ngeh Koo Ham, who was representing the Pakatan Rakyat state government.

Ngeh advised the GMI president to hold the gathering about 20 metres from entrance to the detention camp, an infamous icon of ISA, as ordered by the Taiping OCPD ACP Raja Musa Raja Razak, who was the ground commander at the scene.

Prior to that Raja Musa had sought Ngeh's help to disperse the vigil, which did not have a police permit as required by the Police Act 1976.

He brushed aside Ngeh's argument that it was merely a peaceful gathering and said he would uphold the letter of law.

However, upon much persuasion, Raja Musa agreed to allow the vigil "for a short period."

Several activists dismissed Raja Musa contention of illegal assembly, saying that permit was only a technical matter.

"There is no such thing as illegal assembly. Freedom of assembly is guaranteed by the constitution," said Bar Council's Darawaheda

Ong concurred that a police law could never prevail over the constitution.

GMI plans to organise more similar vigils and activities in collaboration other organisations to pressure the government to repeal ISA.

The gathering ended peacefully at 9pm with a prayer and demonstrators laying the candles along the road.