There is still no freedom for released Internal Security Act detainees Tian Chua and Hishamuddin Rais as they will have to wait until Wednesday to post bail to various outstanding criminal charges against them.

Until their bail applications are heard, they will have to spend time as remand prisoners at the Taiping prison, a short distance from the Kamunting detention centre where they had been detained for the past two years.

Earlier today, the Kulim magistrate Noor Hisham Ismail fixed tomorrow morning to hear Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua's bail application over rioting and false imprisonment charges.

Extended stay

Tian, along with five other Keadilan leaders, are accused of committing the offences during the 1999 Lunas by-election in Kedah. He is also accused of illegally detaining people who were alleged to be phantom voters.

His application could not proceed today due to his absence in court. The court has since issued a notice to Taiping prison to produce Tian tomorrow.

At the same time, the Kuala Lumpur magistrates' courts, in which both Tian and malaysiakini columnist cum film-maker Hishamuddin ( photo ) face a couple of illegal assembly charges, fixed Wednesday to hear their bail applications.

Lawyers Cheah Kah Peng and Gooi Hock Seng, who visited Tian and Hishamuddin at the Taiping prison, said that the duo were disappointed with the turn of events today.

"They realise that this delay would mean extended stay at the prison and are very unhappy over it. However they do understand that the delay is due to legal procedures," said Cheah.

Even if Tian's bail application is allowed tomorrow, it is unlikely that he would be released from remand as he still has to obtain bail for the illegal assembly charges in Kuala Lumpur.

Notice to prison

According to lawyer Latheefa Koya, the Kuala Lumpur magistrates' court fixed Wednesday to hear the bail applications as it was the earliest hearing date in the court diary.

"The court will send an order-to-produce notice to the prison today asking them to bring Tian and Hishamuddin to the court for the hearing," she said.

Tian and Hishamuddin are facing charges of participating in an illegal assembly in September 1999 in front of the National Mosque, held in the wake of allegations in court that former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was given arsenic during his detention.

They also face another charge of illegal assembly in the same year over their protest of restrictions placed on the distribution of PAS organ Harakah. Hearing for both the cases resume later this year.

In prison for OSA

Tian and Hishamuddin, together with four other reformasi leaders, were detained under the ISA in June 2001 for allegedly planning to topple the government through militant means.

Four of them were released on Sunday at the end of their two-year detention while two others are expected to be released on June 12.

However of the four freed detainees, only former president of Jemaah Islah Malaysia, Saari Sungib, walked away a free man.

The fourth person, Keadilan youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor is undergoing a two-year sentence for breaching the Official Secrets Act. He is due for release this December.