There are still a number of people currently detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) awaiting verification, according to human rights group Suaram, which feels that even one ISA detainee is "one too many".

The NGO claimed that out of the 45 people detained in Kamunting, Perak, for the past four years, 23 are Al-Mau'nah members.

"Forty-five may be a small number, but as far as we are concerned, even one ISA detainee is a detainee too many," said Suaram representative R Sivarasa at a press conference in Petaling Jaya today.

"That is why we are not giving up. We are going ahead with our campaign until this draconian law is abolished," he added.

According to Sivarasa, there have been about 10,000 people detained under Section 8 of the ISA which provides for detention orders up to 60 days or two years.

This figure does not include the 20,000 people who have been detained for less than 60 days, he said.

"The figures are meaningless compared with the sufferings of detainees, their families and friends," said Sivarasa, who is also an executive member of Parti Rakyat Malaysia.

"One must read their affidavits to understand what they have been through. One cannot imagine the kind of methods used by Special Branch officials to destroy the people," he added.

He reiterated Suaram's stand on the ISA and said that "we must never lose sight of this enormous cruelty" because other than it being punitive and not following the due process of law, it is also increasingly difficult to obtain information on current ISA detainees, he said.

Suaram will be organising a gathering outside the Kamunting detention camp on Oct 29, followed by a forum and exhibition on the history of the ISA at Kampung Pasir to reiterate its call to "Abolish the ISA" and that "Forty years of the ISA is enough".

Suaram said the Act, enacted on Aug 1, 1960, to deal with communist insurgents, is now redundant. The organisation has produced pamphlets which state 40 reasons why the law should be abolished.

MPs pressed to abolish ISA

Suaram coordinator S Aruchelvan said, "We are going to pressure our MPs to raise this issue in Parliament. We hope a Bill to abolish the ISA will come out soon, or else we will help them draft a bill." ([#1]Pressure to repeal ISA mounts[/#], Oct 6).

About 100 representatives from various NGOs will submit memorandums to MPs in Parliament this Thursday to canvass their support to abolish the ISA.

The memorandum is a follow-up action to the anti-ISA joint statement signed by 69 NGOs on Aug 1, the 40th anniversary of the draconian law ([#2]Abolish ISA - 40 years is enough, says NGOs[/#], Aug 1).

Meanwhile, National Human Rights Society (Hakam) secretary-general Elizabeth Wong reported that three people who were believed to be Shia' followers were recently detained under the ISA.

One of them is in the Sentul police lock-up, she was told by the detainee's family, while the whereabouts of the other two are unknown.

The NGOs are in constant touch with the Bukit Aman police to obtain information for the families of detainees on the latter's whereabouts, Wong added.

She also urged the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) to state its position on the ISA.