The Irene Fernandez 'false news' hearing was yesterday adjourned after the trial witness - a former inmate at a detention camp - was overcome by his emotions while relating his experiences eight years ago.

Bangladesh national Mohd Shahabuddin was testifying to the court the physical and mental abuses that he allegedly suffered while detained at the Tanah Merah detention centre in Kelantan in 1995.

According to the witness, a "hot-tempered" police officer named Azmir had hit him so "forcefully" o­n two occasions with a "wooden rod" that his fingers were broken.

"Azmir called me out of the room. He asked me to hold out my hands. He hit my palm from the side.

"(It was) very painful. My finger bones were broken," said the witness during examination by defence counsel M Puravalen.

Shahabuddin, 37, was testifying at the trial of labour activist Irene Fernandez when the hearing resumed last Tuesday after a 20-month hiatus.

Fernandez is charged under Section 8A(2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 for "maliciously publishing false news" after she released a memorandum at a press conference in August 1995 about alleged torture and deaths in camps for illegal immigrants.

The trial which began in June 1996 is considered o­ne of the longest-running in Malaysian legal history.

Witness felt like 'vomiting'

On further questioning by the defence, Shahabuddin recalled another incident during which he was allegedly hit o­n the genitals by the same police officer.

"He told me and other detainees to undress and keep our clothes at the corner. Out of fear, we did it but put the clothes in front of us. Then he started striking at our private parts.

"Due to the pain, I screamed. I did not collapse (but) I had to hold o­n to a window," he said, adding that he continues to suffer permanent damage to his genitals and mental trauma as a result of his experience.

Following this testimony, Shahabuddin requested for the trial to be adjourned as he was unable to continue speaking.

"(The) witness' head is spinning and he feels like vomiting," said the court interpretor.

"(The) witness does not want to drink water. He feels that if he drinks water, he will throw up," he added after water was offered to Shahabuddin.

Subsequently, magistrate Juliana Mohamed adjourned the trial until next Wednesday.

'Slapped and kicked'

Earlier, Shahabuddin related several other incidents which affected him during the five and a half months he was detained at the Tanah Merah camp.

"In front of the block, I was told to undress and (remain) standing. Mentally, I was ashamed... Everybody looked at me from the block and they laughed at me," he said.

While he was naked, Shahabuddin alleged that he was also slapped and kicked by a police officer but did not know why he was treated in that manner.

"He slapped me with whatever force he had. (I was slapped) very hard. o­ne cannot slap anyone any harder than that.

The witness said that the blows caused him to suffer bruises in his mouth, which affected his ability to talk and eat properly in the days following the incident, and caused a "buzzing sound in his ear" which temporarily affected his hearing.

"I was frightened because I could not hear anything anymore and if I cannot hear, (it means that) I am crippled...," he said.

Media blackout

Shahabuddin is o­ne of two Bangladeshi witness who are scheduled to testify for the defence for the duration of the trial until Jan 31.

Up till May 2001, when the case was last heard, the prosecution had called a total of 35 witnesses while 20 witnesses had testified for the defence.

During the earlier stages of the trial, other former inmates provided the court with graphic details of their experiences which included testimony o­n alleged beatings by the police and o­n inmates being subjected to acts of sexual perversion.

However, proceedings of the trial has been blacked out by all other local print and broadcast media.

If convicted, Fernandez could face up to three years in prison and/or a fine of up to RM20,000. She is currently out o­n bail.