The wives of several Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees today claimed they were being harassed by Kamunting detention camp officials and the police Special Branch personnel for seeking legal counsel for their husbands.

The eight women said they were subjected to direct harassment when they visited their husbands and also received threats via short messaging service (SMS) on their mobile phones.

They filed a complaint on the matter with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam). It was received by secretary Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria and Head of the Investigation Department Jamaluddin Othman at the commission's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

In their complaint, the wives said: "The camp officials have taken all sorts of action to prevent the detainees from getting legal counsel...As a result of such harassment, several persons interested in meeting with visiting lawyers later pulled out. This is a violation of their rights."

They added that camp officials, including one Corporal Fauzi, tried to intimidate them by telling them not to appoint lawyers.

"No need to hire lawyers, it is not even certain that you would win. What's more, these lawyers are only out for your money," he had allegedly said.

Extension threats

The wives also claimed to have received anonymous SMS messages which stated, "Nobody will help you. Please tell your friends that they should have a stand in life and not let others manipulate you. Even with detention (of their husbands) their behaviour has not changed. What a pity".

The complainants' husbands were being detained under the ISA for allegedly being members of terror groups Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) or the Jemaah Islamiah (JI). They were detained between December 2001 and mid last year.

They are detained for allegedly plotting a militant exercise to set up Islamic states in the region.

Speaking on behalf of the wives, Siti Normah Ismail said a number of the detainees had stopped from engaging the help of lawyers as they were worried that it could mean a lesser chance for their release.

"But now, a number of the detainees have realised how valuable their freedom is worth especially when they are held under a law which does not require proof of guilt in court. As a result of this, many of them want to see what the lawyer has to say," she added.

Siti Normah, whose husband Abdullah Minyak Silam, was arrested on Jan 14 last year, said this development worried the camp authorities who then started their harassment.

Relating her experience, another detainee's wife, Norlaila Othman said camp authorities started harassing her when they found out she was considering engaging a lawyer.

"Even before we took any action, the camp people were already trying to scare us. They told me - 'You had better not do this. If you do, his detention order would be extended'," she said.

However, she said her husband Mat Sah Mohd Satray who has been detained since last April eventually decided to seek legal assistance but warned that she might be bothered by Special Branch officers.

"One night, a car with two men came and park right outside my house. I knew it had to be them but what could I do?" she added.

Monitored visits

Another complaint was the lack of privacy during family visits due to the constant presence of a camp officer at their side.

The wives said such surveillance was unnecessary as family members were only given 45 minutes per visit and that they were separated by a wired window.

"We have no problems if they watch us but the officer would sit right next to us when I meet with my husband. Often, she would also interrupt our conversation, and give her comments on our personal affairs," said Masitah Baharom, whose husband, Abdul Samad Shukri Mohd, was arrested on Dec 29, 2001.

Lawyer Edmund Bon, who was also present, said Suhakam should also push for legal consultations with the detainees to be held in private.

"The detainees must be given full legal rights and they cannot be monitored during such visits. They cannot be comfortable in talking to their lawyers if they are concerned about being recorded or reported on. There are also concerns if it might affect any legal case we want to file later," he said.

Long process

Responding to the complaint, Kamaruddin said Suhakam had taken several measures to request for camp officials not to listen to the conversations between detainees and their family or their lawyers.

"We have written several times to the camp to ask for families to be left alone during their visits. We suggested that a camp warden can be there but they should not listen to private discussions," he said although adding that such a process would take time.

On the issue of harassment, Kamaruddin said the commission has to first investigate the matter as it was not previously aware of any such incidents.

"We will first have to verify these issues with the camp authorities. Usually, we receive the complaints and then we get the response of the other side," he said.

On whether Suhakam carried out investigations into the allegations against the detainees based on previous complaints, he said some action was taken although they were not made public.

"We did some work but we have kept quiet on the results because we feel that we should not say anything before we complete our investigations," he said.

Based on statistics released by the National Economic Action Council (NEAC) last month, there are presently 91 persons detained under ISA for allegedly being members of militant organisations.

Of the group, 58 are said to be members of JI, 18 KMM and 15 Al-Maunah.