The government has reiterated to the United States administration that it wants two Malaysian detainees at Guantanamo Bay repatriated to face the country's legal process, Dewan Rakyat heard today.

Deputy Foreign Minister A Kohilan Pillay said Prime Minister Najib Razak made his wish known to President Barack Obama in a telephone call on June 26 this year.

"The prime minister asked President Obama to treat the two detainees according to international norms and humanely.

"President Obama welcomed Malaysia's request and said it will be referred to the United States security authorities," he said in reply to Gwo-Burne Loh (PKR-Kelana Jaya) who asked the Foreign Minister on the status of Mohd Farik Amin and Mohammad Nazir Lep who were detained at Guantanamo Bay for alleged involvement in Jemaah Islamiah and Al-Qaeda militant groups since 2003.

Mohd Farik and Mohammad Nazir were among 250 detainees at the controversial Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Kohilan said Foreign Minister Anifah Aman had informed US State Secretary Hillary Clinton on May 14 in Washington and that she gave commitment that Malaysia would be told once a decision on the two detainess was made.

"The prime minister reiterated that Malaysia wants the two detainees at Guantanamo Bay repatriated during a meeting with US Deputy State Seceretary James Steinberg on Nov 25 after a working visit to New York and Washington."

‘We can't call them terrorists’

He said Malaysia made the application after Obama signed an executive order on Jan 22 that Guantanamo Bay detention camp be closed in one year.

The US administration was conducting a review to determine measures to be taken to implement the executive order.

"The government will continue to monitor developments closely," he said.

To a supplementary question by Loh, Kohilan said a Malaysian delegation in the US who visited the detainees could only offer advice as they had not been charged.

"We will continue to monitor their welfare and try to bring the two detainees home," he said.

Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) reminded that government efforts to repatriate the two detainees could be used by the opposition as basis to free Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees.

Kohilan said initially the two Malaysians were detained as suspected terrorists but since 2006 they had been classified as "high value detainees" with 16 others at Guantanamo Bay.

"As such, we can't call them terrorists," he added.

- Bernama