Confusion swaddled the six Internal Security Act detainees hunger strike as the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) and activists dished out conflicting claims concerning the matter today.

According to Suhakam secretary Kamaruddin Mohd Baria, two of the detainees — malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais and Keadilan leader Dr Badrul Amin Bahron — have given up their strike.

The other four, Keadilan leaders Tian Chua, Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, Saari Sungib, and Lokman Nor Adam, will continue with their hunger strike until Saturday, he told family members and representatives of the Abolish ISA Movement (GMI) during a meeting at the commission headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

This information, Kamaruddin said, was relayed to him by the Home Affairs Ministry.

The detainees, who are being held for two years at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak, were arrested for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government through militant means.

The six started their hunger strike on April 10 to mark the first anniversary of their incarceration and to highlight their demand to be released or charged in an open court for the crimes which they have denied.

Intravenous drips

However, GMI rebuked Suhakams claim that the hunger strike was drawing to an end, saying that any information from the ministry was questionable.

According to GMI secretary S Arutchelvan the six were only consuming water and nothing else.

During the time when former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim was put under the ISA, the authorities said he was alright but he was something else when he came out, he told Kamaruddin.

Malaysiakini reported earlier, that two of the detainees — Hishamuddin and Badrul — have been put on intravenous drips as they had suffered cramps.

This information was contained in a letter from Tian Chua which GMI received yesterday.

Meanwhile, FreeAnwar.com webmaster Raja Petra Kamaruddin, who was also present at the Suhakam office, claimed that any information from the ministry should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Both, Arutchelvan and Raja Petra also said that the detainees should be allowed access to private doctors.

Suhakam must make a stand and come out with a statement that private doctors be allowed in, said Raja Petra.

In reaction to this, the commission secretary said that Kamunting authorities insisted on the use of government doctors.

Suhakam is not given enforcement powers so the most that we can do is persuade them to do something, he said, adding that he would meet with camp authorities to speak on the matter.

We do not take sides and we would listen to both GMI and the centres authorities. We would try to clarify on the hunger strike, added the human rights watchdog secretary.

Yesterday, Suhakam issued a press statement voicing its concern about the detainees and promised to look into their complaints.

However, the date of the inquiry will only be decided next week when the new Suhakam committee is appointed.

Sympathy ploy

Meanwhile a Bangkok-based rights today has also expressed concern over the health of the six detainees.

In a press statement, Forum Asia said it had "received reports that the political prisoners' conditions have been deteriorating and are now under critical condition, some may not survive for long".

In a related development, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi scoffed at the detainees hunger strike, saying that the six were merely begging for sympathy.

An online News Straits Times report stated the deputy premier, asked to comment on the issue, had everyone in stitches when he said the Prisons director-general informed him that some of the detainees had taken food yesterday.