Police dispersed supporters who gathered at a road block about 3km from the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak by threatening to employ Federal Reserve Unit personnel to dismiss them for conducting an "illegal public assembly".

The 100-odd people who arrived in Kamunting in a convoy gathered at about 1pm, and waited till about 3pm, for news about the status of the detainees' detention order under the Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial.

About 50 FRU personnel arrived at about 2pm and took up position in full gear, while the Anti-ISA movement activists negotiated with the police to allow them to wait until they obtained word from the camp or the detainees' wives who had gone in earlier to visit their spouses.

After several minutes of negotiation, the activists failed to convince the police that they were not there to "cause trouble" and were merely waiting for the families and friends to come out of the camp.

Cordoned off

Earlier police had cordoned off about 3km o­n both sides off the road leading to the camp, causing a massive traffic jam along Jalan Kamunting..

The supporters had no choice but to assemble at the road side a few metres after the road block, At the hour, policemen present did not attempt to take action even when some of those present started making speeches.

Present were prominent opposition politicians including Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang, PAS MP Muhamad Sabu, PRM secretary-general Dr Sanusi Othman and PSM pro tem president Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim. Representatives from several non-government organisations were also present to lend their support.

Family members of the ISA 5 are in the Kamunting centre today, all eager to know the fate of their loved o­nes.

The reformasi activists detained in Kamunting in Perak are Tian Chua, Saari Sungib, Lokman Nor Adam, Badrulamin Bahron and Hishamuddin Rais.

Keadilan leader Youth Chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor was arrested with the ISA 5 but was transferred to the Kajang prison last year to serve a two-year jail term for breaching the Official Secrets Act.

Their 2-year detention orders under the Internal Security Act (ISA) expire today.

No word yet

When contacted about 2.30pm, Saari's wife, Aliza Jaafar, told malaysiakini that the family has not received word of the detainees'detention order.

Aliza met Saari for about 45 minutes and said that camp officials had informed her that they too had not received any word from the Home Ministry about the matter.

"I am still waiting, they must tell me, I am his wife. If they have any respect for law and order, they would inform us as soon as possible whether my husband would be free or detained further," she said.

"I hope they do not play the fool with us. There is law, and if they do not comply with it, o­n Monday (tomorrow), we will go to court," she added.

Meanwhile, Wan Azizah said that o­ne could never understand the "sadness and misery" of the detainees' families, who have been deprived of their husbands and fathers throughout these two years.

"They (the detainees) had done nothing wrong and yet they had been so cruelly separated from their wives and children," she said.

"The outside world sees us as a nation who are good at criticising others but here in our own homeland, we are doing exactly, if not worse, the things we criticise others for," she added.

Get rid of government

Sanusi poured scorn at Barisan Nasional leaders, saying that they could boast about their greatness to the people but were in truth, afraid of the shadows of the six detainees.

He said the country could not rid itself of the ISA if o­nly several leaders were replaced.

"We get rid of Mahathir, the ISA still stays. We need to get rid of a government that supports the ISA, we need to topple this government through the general election," he added.

Cheah Kah Peng, a lawyer for the ISA 6, who was also present at the gathering said by chucking aside the recommendations of the ISA Advisory Board, the government has insulted the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, which the board reports to.

He said the government had also refused to acknowledge decisions made by the Federal Court o­n Sept 6 and the calls from local and International non-governmental organisations to release the detainees.

"What wrong have the detainees done, they were merely expressing their views, stating the facts, but in return all they get is torture, beating, imprisonment and further detention," Cheah added.