Human rights group Suaram has called upon the government not to delay the implementation of recommendations made by a UN-sponsored team, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD).

The organisation said WGAD’s recommendations were not altogether new as similar suggestions had been made by other groups previously and hence there should be no delay by the Malaysian government to implement them.

azlan "Suaram therefore strongly calls upon the government to do away with the practice of detaining individuals without trial, as proposed by the WGAD," said John Liu, coordinator for Suaram in a statement today.

Suaram also urged the government to release all the individuals currently detained under detention without trial laws or charge them in a fair and open court.

On the status of refugees, the human rights organisation called for the government to refrain from arresting refugees, asylum-seekers and other vulnerable groups of migrants.

"The government should also provide a concrete time frame for the ratification of the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees," Liu added.

Allow other groups, too

Suaram commended the government for allowing the UN working group to conduct its study but stressed that the government should also allow other UN working groups with similar urgency.

The WGAD, a team under the UN Human Rights Council of which Malaysia is a member, has completed an investigation into claims of abuse and torture or detainees while in police custody.

The team, on a two-week mission to Malaysia, said ‘virtually all’ detainees interviewed said they were subjected to torture in order to obtain confessions while in police custody.