The two anti-ISA activists, S Manikavasagam and Sanusi Abdullah, who were arrested by the police yesterday afternoon outside the Central Market in Kuala Lumpur were released at 11.30am today on a bail bond of RM2,000 each.

Fellow members of the Anti-ISA Movement (AIM) stood bail for the two men, who were locked up overnight at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters at Jalan Stadium.

They have to report to the same police station on Nov 11.

Their lawyer, R Sivarasa, when contacted, said it was quite shocking to discover that both men had not been fed since their arrest yesterday afternoon despite assurances by the police that they would be given the usual 'lock-up dinner'.

"Family and friends had even brought some food last night but the police did not allow it. However, the police took Sanusi, who was already ill yesterday, to hospital later at night."

Another disturbing development was the fact that their statements were recorded under Section 113 of the Criminal Procedure Code at about 5pm and yet they were detained overnight.

"I feel that the act of keeping them overnight is purely to punish them than based on valid grounds for further investigations. What is there to question anymore?

"That's why we are seriously considering the possibility of taking legal action against the Dang Wangi OCPD (Assistant Commissioner of Police Hadi Ho Abdullah) and officers who were involved in the case," Sivarasa said.

Noting that the police seemed more vindictive towards these activists (both arrested men are Keadilan Youth exco members), Sivarasa speculated that it may be due to last month's Federal Court decision which held that the arrests and 60-day detention of the reformasi five unlawful.

More vindictive than valid

Yesterday, a group of plainclothes police personnel began shadowing the AIM members as they went about distributing the leaflets in Bahasa Malaysia which read 'Police and Home Minister Mala Fide ' (bad faith), explaining last month's Federal Court decision which found the ISA arrests unlawful.

It explained the unfairness of the continued detention of Keadilan leaders Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, Tian Chua, Saari Sungib, malaysiakini columnist-cum-film maker Hishamuddin Rais and Free Anwar Campaign director Raja Petra Kamaruddin and asked for their immediate release.

On Sept 6, the Federal Court hearing of a habeas corpus application ruled that the initial 60-day detention of the five reformasi activists was unlawful and agreed that the police had acted in "bad faith".

However, the decision did not result in the detainees' release as the court said a separate application must be filed in order to determine the legality of the two-year detention order.

The five were detained in April last year for allegedly plotting to topple the government through militant means, a charge which they have denied.

Raja Petra was released before the expiry of the 60-day period while Mohd Ezam is now serving a two-year jail term at the Kajang prison after he was found guilty of breaching the Official Secrets Act 1972 last month.

The rest, including two other Keadilan leaders Dr Badrulamin Bahron and Lokman Noor Adam, are being held at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak.

Three reports lodged

Meanwhile, three police reports were lodged over the incident last night.

One was against the Dang Wangi OCPD ACP Hadi Ho Abdullah for ordering the overnight detention of Manikavasagam, 37 and Sanusi, 39 when there was no need for further investigations because the alleged offence of possession of illegal leaflets under Section 8 of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 was straightforward.

The second police report was a witness account involving the missing personal items from the white Proton car belonging to AIM member Badrul Hisham Shaharin, which were taken away by the police.

S Pospan Linggam, who lodged the report at about 8.40 last night, said he saw four plainclothes police officers ransacking the Iswara, parked in the vicinity of the police station at about 5pm. Sanusi was nabbed while taking a nap in his car outside the Central Market yesterday.

"I saw them search the the car and remove a dark-coloured bag and several documents. I also saw them ransacking the booth. Later, the bag, documents and the car were brought into the station by two of the officers.

Personal items taken

Sivarasa said since the car was still impounded at the police station, they will have to take up the matter of the missing items and possible theft with Bukit Aman federal police headquarters for intervention.

"At most, the police are entitled to confiscate the allegedly offensive leaflets but not to hold on to the car or remove any personal items in the car which is unrelated to the subject of the offence."

Businessman Badrul Hisham Shaharin, 24, (photo at right) said neither he nor his representative were present when the police searched and removed items from his car in the police station compound.

Badrul, who hails from Seremban, said among the missing items were a personal file of his defence in another ongoing case in Jelebu, which final submission is scheduled for this Thursday.

"It is a confidential document outlining my defence in that case, and it has now been compromised because the police have my file now."

Two other missing items are the file of Badrul's company and cash amounting to more than RM3,000 which he was supposed to have banked into his company's account.

"I'm giving time for the police to return my belongings and if nothing happens, I will highlight this matter in the media and consider legal action against them," he told malaysiakini .

Badrul said that while being interviewed for a statement yesterday, he felt that the police were more interested in his personal and business affairs rather than investigating the missing items.