Some 60 protesters from regional human rights groups, migrant worker organisations and student and youth groups demonstrated outside the Consulate General of Malaysia in Hong Kong's Wanchai district yesterday.

Their memorandum protesting the continued detention of reformasi activists - Tian Chua, Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor, Saari Sungib, Hishamuddin Rais, Lokman Noor Adam and Dr Badrulamin Bahron - was received by Vice-Consul RM Ibrahim.

'Shame' o­n Malaysia

In a press release o­n the event, the Asian Students Association (ASA) said the protest also saw participation from Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) communications officer Bruce van Voorhis and a Hong Kong legislator, Lee Chuk Yan - a fourth-time anti-ISA demonstrator at the Malaysian Consulate General.

"Mr Lee delivered a call to the Malaysian government to abolish the ISA and raised concerns about Hong Kong's Article 23 (on preventing security threats) which he felt could be similarly abused. He called such legislation a threat to basic human rights," said the ASA.

Another activist, Lee Khai Loon of the ASA, declared that the two-year imprisonment of the ISA 6 represented two years of "shame" for Malaysia.

"The government has no grounds to detain them. (Prime Minister Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad) is eager to become a world leader by calling o­n the United States and allied governments to adhere to principles of international consensus and human rights. He must practise this at home too or be called a hypocrite," he said.

Protesters donned masks due to fear of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in the island, but creatively turned them into figurative and literal mouthpieces against the ISA by pasting anti-ISA logos o­n them.

They also carried banners saying 'Free all detainees! Stop torture! Abolish Internal Security Act'.

Protests abroad

The anti-ISA movement was also highlighted by international human rights groups yesterday.

London-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI) declared April 10 a "day of solidarity with the prisoners of conscience".

According to the Abolish ISA movement (GMI), several other international demonstrations were also planned outside prominent representative offices of the Malaysian government in Australia, South Korea and London.

Five reformasi activists were arrested on April 10, 2001 under the ISA for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government by militant means.

Five others were arrested in the following days. Of the 10, two were released before the initial detention period ended, two others successfully filed for a writ of habeas corpus for their release.

The remaining six are serving a two-year detention order which is due to expire in June this year. However, Keadilan Youth chief Mohd Ezam was jailed for two years from last October for breach of the Official Secrets Act.