The Malaysian Human Rights Commission's 2001 annual report would be made public in June, after it has been handed over to the Parliament, a Suhakam commissioner said today.

Commissioner Prof Hamdan Adnan said that the Foreign ministry, which has the report now, will submit the report in time for the next parliamentary session in June. Suhakam falls under the purview of the Foreign ministry.

"Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar has yet to send it to Parliament but after he does, it would be made public," Hamdan told malaysiakini today.

Suhakam has been criticised recently by various quarters over its failure to submit the report, which was due to be handed in during the last Parliamentary session in March.

According to Hamdan, the 104-page report will include the commission's proposals and recommendations on the freedom of assembly, the Internal Security Act (ISA), the 2001 Petaling Jaya Selatan racial clashes as well as the need to increase the tenure of commissioners in Suhakam from the present two-year term.

Giving a sneak preview on the report touching on the Petaling Jaya Selatan clashes last March, Hamdan said that the commission, after having conducted a closed inquiry, felt that the incident was mainly a criminal matter under police investigation.

"However, we have made several recommendations that the socio-economic development of the area be looked at, and that the security in the area be stepped up," he said.

Lawsuit against Suhakam

The racial clashes, which claimed the lives of six and injured scores of people, became a thorny issue for Suhakam after Parti Reformasi Insan Malaysia accused it of inaction and refusing to investigate the matter.

On April 17, the commission was slapped with a RM50 million lawsuit by a group of Petaling Jaya Selatan residents over its failure to carry out a public inquiry.

On the ISA and freedom of assembly, Hamdan said the commission would be maintaining its stand on the two issues - that the detention without trial is a violation of human rights and peaceful assemblies should be allowed by the authorities.

The commission had courted controversies over its annual report as well as several other reports it released.

In its annual report, the two-year old Suhakam had called for a review of various laws, including the ISA, as well as proposed for a change in the rules and regulations relating to peaceful assemblies.

Its other specific reports were on freedom of assembly as well as its findings on police abuses in the people's gathering on the Kesas highway on Nov 5, 2000.

These reports, especially the one on police abuses, saw the government labelling the commission as being "western-influenced" and "idealistic".

ISA inquiry decision

On another matter, Hamdan who is also chair of its complaints and inquiries sub-working group, said that Suhakam will decide on Monday if it wants to hold an inquiry into the recent ISA detentions.

"We will be discussing this matter on May 20, and hopefully, we would be able to decide on a date for the first inquiry," Hamdan said.

The commission last month announced that it would be conducting an inquiry into the ISA following a hunger strike initiated by six Keadilan and reformasi activists incarcerated under the Act.

The government arrested six for alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow the government. The use of the ISA was also stepped up after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in the US.