Forty-three Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees, including the son of a menteri besar, have been on hunger strike at the Kamunting Detention Camp in Perak since yesterday and two of them were hospitalised late last night.

The strike was initiated by 16 detainees to protest their continued detention under the security law, immediately attracting a show of solidarity from 27 other detainees who joined the protest.

The 16, which includes Nik Adli - the son of Kelantan Menteri Besar and PAS' spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat - have refused to consume either food or water while the rest were only abstaining from food.

All the detainees on strike were being held over terror-related charges.

Visits denied

According to the Abolish ISA Movement (AIM) today, detainees Md Rasid Ismail and Asfawani Abd Wahab were taken to the Taiping Hospital last night after they became weak.

However, PAS central committee members Dr Hatta Ramli and Husam Musa, who visited the duo this evening, revealed that Asfawani has been discharged and taken back to the camp.

Meanwhile, AIM secretary Yap Swee Seng said the wives of four other detainees, who were allowed to visit their husbands yesterday, were today barred from meeting them.

"The camp refused their visits as only one visit is allowed per week according to the regulations. But their husbands are on hunger strike now, they should be allowed to observe their husbands' health conditions," he said when contacted.

It is learnt that the detainees' lawyers have been given permission to visit them tomorrow.

Detention extended

Of the initial group of 16, a majority of them were arrested in stages between August and December 2001 on suspicion of being members of Kumpulan Muhajiddin Malaysia.

When their initial two-year detention order expired late last year, 14 had their detention extended because the Home Ministry claimed that the police probe on their alleged link to terrorism was still in progress.

On Feb 6, the group had issued warning of the intention to go on hunger strike, in a letter to the home minister.

According to human rights group Suaram coordinator Badaruddin Ismail said another detainee Ahmad Pozi Deraman is also appearing frail.

He said camp officials have attempted to persuade the detainees to give up their strike, but the latter insisted on pursuing it until they are freed.

When contacted this afternoon, camp officials remained tightlipped on the matter while camp commandant Abdul Basir Mohamad could not be reached.

Appeal letter

Yesterday, the second group of 27 detainees submitted a letter addressed to prime minister and Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi via the commandant.

In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by malaysiakini , the detainees said they embarked on the strike to support their 16 fellow inmates and to demand freedom for all ISA detainees.

The seven-page letter also urged the premier to free all the detainees unconditionally and detailed the hardships faced by their families.

Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) secretary Kamaruddin Mohd Baria when contacted yesterday refused to comment on the strike until he could obtain clearance from the commissioners.

Several memorandums had been submitted to Suhakam regarding the detainees continued detention.

Initiate dialogue

In another development, AIM chairperson Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh urged the Home Ministry to view the matter seriously and find an amicable way to stop the hunger strike.

He called on the ministry to initiate a dialogue with the detainees and take their demands into consideration.

He also suggested Suhakam to send an investigating team to monitor the hunger strike

Previously, in 2002, ISA detainees had also gone on a hunger strike to call attention to their situation.