The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has scheduled another meeting within two weeks to gather more information from two former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees, who claimed to have been assaulted while being held in Kamunting, Perak.

Suhakam complaints and public inquiry working group chairperson Prof Hamdan Adnan said today that further clarification was needed from the duo, following a detailed report by the Kamunting Detention Centre.

The ex-detainees are Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua and malaysiakini columnist-cum-filmmaker Hishamuddin Rais, who were released from their two-year detention in June.

"We want to meet both of them within the next two weeks, or earlier, if possible and we will be contacting them soon," Hamdan said when contacted.

"We want to be fair to both parties and conduct a thorough investigation because we don't want to be perceived as being biased against anyone."

Public inquiry

Asked if Suhakam would conduct a public inquiry if Tian and Hishamuddin insisted on one, he said the commission would decide on this later.

Hamdan also revealed that the commission has yet to classify the alleged assault as a rights violation.

"Right now, we are still unsure, that is why we have to check with both complainants first. If the situation proves to be problematic, we may have to visit Kamunting before making a final decision," he said.

The detainees claimed that the assault took place on May 9. Tian ( photo, right) allegedly sustained injuries, while Hishamuddin ( photo, left ) was allegedly handcuffed and left in solitary confinement for the night.

They also claimed that the incident was witnessed by three other detainees then - Keadilan leaders Lokman Adam, Dr Badrulamin Bahron and Saari Sungib.

Early last month, Suhakam indicated the possibility of conducting a public inquiry, including

calling up the Kamunting security personnel named in the complaints.

Rule violated

Referring to the explanation provided by the Kamunting authorities, Hamdan said there appeared to be a breach of a rule against detainees taking computers into their cells.

Hamdan said: "We have been told that detainees are only allowed the use of computers in the designated office, and not in their cells. We believe that is what had led to the subsequent scuffle.

"If this is the case, we must clarify with the complainants on whether they accept Kamunting's explanation of the incident. Furthermore, from the reports, it seems that (people on) both sides sustained bruises and injuries during the incident."

He stressed that the commission wanted to handle the investigations carefully due to speculation that the body was open to exploitation by certain people.

"We want to ensure that we are not exploited by anyone. Some politicians, academicians and certain non-governmental organisations have cautioned us against possible exploitation," he said.

"We hope that is not the case, for the sake of human rights, where everyone has the right to complain."

Many organisations had called for an investigation into the alleged assault, including the 10,000-strong Malaysian Bar which wanted the findings to be made public.

Tian and Hishamuddin were among six people, five of whom are Keadilan leaders, slapped with a two-year detention order in 2001 for allegedly planning to overthrow the government through militant means. The six, all of whom have since been released, have denied the charge.