Suhakam No 2 clears the air on rehabilitating ISA detainees
Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) deputy chairperson Harun Hashim today clarified that he was merely commenting on the conditions of detention when he stated on Monday that "ISA detainees held in Kamunting for two years without a proper chance to be rehabilitated was a waste of time and public funds".
Harun came under fire soon after his "comments" were publicised. Several former ISA detainees and human rights groups like Hakam and Suaram criticised him saying that Harun, by his usage of the term "rehabilitating the detainees", guilt was already presumed.
"I was not talking about presumption of guilt. There has to be some kind of programmes for those who are kept there for two years.
"All they do everyday is wake up and makan, minum, makan, minum (eat, drink, eat, drink) only. It is really terrible and people can go bonkers like that," Harun told malaysiakini today.
Harun made the statement on Monday during the commission's ongoing inquiry into the conditions of ISA detentions. Since June 18, Suhakam has interviewed a total of 20 witnesses which included detainees, officials from the Kamunting Detention Centre in Taiping, Perak and police officers.
He said then that "we were told the detainees were just being dumped here and prison officials in Kamunting were not given any orders as to what to do with them".
"It's more like punishment than rehabilitation and it's a waste of time since none of the detainees are doing anything," Harun added.
Intellectually challenged
The Suhakam commissioner reiterated today that the detainees should be intellectually challenged rather than having nothing to do.
Asked whether he thought that the ISA detainees should be released as they have not been formally charged, Harun said it was up to the government to decide.
"We were only talking about the conditions of detention and not about the law itself. That has to be left to another group," he said.
However, Suhakam has always maintained the stand that detention-without-trial is a violation of human rights.
Commissioners Prof Hamdan Adnan and Asiah Abu Samah were the other members of the inquiry panel.
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