The wife of religious preacher and ex-ISA detainee, Mohamad Iqbal A Rahman has expressed fears for her husband's safety after discovering that he is no longer being held at the immigration headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Fatimah Zahrah Abdul Aziz ( photo, carrying child ) said she was only informed about his transfer to the immigration detention centre in Ajil, Terengganu, when she went to the lock-up at the Damansara Town Centre, where he had been held for the past month.

She said officers refused to tell exactly when he had been moved out or why.

"I don't intend to cast aspersions on anyone, but move was done so suddenly that I have my doubts about his well being," she said when contacted.

"There is always the chance that he has been assaulted. They may have taken him far away to hide this from me...I don't know, I pray that my suspicions will be proven wrong.

"I asked an officer if he was beaten...of course, his reply was that immigration officials do not do such things."

Iqbal, an Indonesian national who now holds Malaysian permanent resident's status, was picked up by immigration officials when his PR status was revoked on Aug 22, after he was released from a two-year detention under the Internal Security Act.

He has since appealed to the department to reconsider its stand, and has also filed for leave to obtain an order of certiorari

to quash the decision.

Security, safety cited

Fatimah further said she wanted to know why the department had not informed her in advance about her husband's transfer.

"The officials said they were only following the director-general's instructions not to tell anyone, for security reasons. They also said they had to protect my husband's safety though I am not so sure about that anymore," she said.

However, she felt that the decision could have been prompted by recent letters written by Iqbal, including one in which he had complained about the appalling condition of the cell where he was being held. His views were reported by malaysiakini last Friday.

"I don't know why they are doing this to us. Maybe they are angry with me for meeting him to often and they want to separate us. Maybe they are angry because of the letters he wrote...I don't know. I really don't understand how Malaysian laws work," she said.

Her distress was heightened by the possibility that she will have to leave her nine children - aged between 20 and one - unattended at their home in Banting, if she now wants to visit her husband.

"I have never been to Terengganu. I don't know how to get there but I will have to make arrangements soon. Right now, all I can do is pray and hope for the best for my husband and our family."

Lawyer annoyed

Iqbal's lawyer Latheefa Koya said it was unbecoming of the department not to have informed his family that he was being moved out of KL.

"The officers knew we were going to the lock-up (yesterday) so that he could affirm some documents. We sent the department a letter last week," she said.

"They should have told us so that we could make alternative arrangements. Instead, they made us wait for more than 30 minutes before telling us that he was no longer detained (in KL)," she said.

"When I asked why, they said that the place was cramped. The camp in Ajil is a new one, so they felt it would be a better place for him."

Latheefa shared Fatimah's suspicion that the sudden transfer could have been triggered by Iqbal's recent complaints.

She further alleged that "unfriendly and unco-operative" immigration officials have not made it easy for her to meet Iqbal while in KL.

"I told an officer that I had to get Iqbal's signature. He looked away and refused to talk to me. He told another officer to refer me to some other officer who told me to wait, before finally telling me the real situation," she said.

Since it has not been possible to obtain Iqbal's affirmation on the legal documents, Latheefa said his counsel would have to file an affidavit to explain the situation. The hearing is set for Monday.