Fifteen alleged Islamic militants detained without trial grew weaker as their hunger strike entered its fourth day today but vowed to keep up their quest for freedom, their lawyer said.

Ahmad Sabki Yusof, who met the detainees yesterday at the Kamunting detention centre in northern Perak state, said their condition had worsened and some had lost between three and five kilograms in weight.

"All of them looked very weak and one of them collapsed during our meeting. But they will not stop until their demands are met. They want to be released or to be brought to court," he said.

The detainees, accused of belonging to the Malaysian Militant Group (KMM) which is allegedly linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terrorist network, were detained in 2001 under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows indefinite detention without trial.

They include Nik Adli, the son of the spiritual leader of the hardline opposition Islamic Party (PAS), Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

They began their hunger strike on Monday, refusing water and food, and two of them were hospitalised on Wenesday. Ahmad said one of them has since been discharged and brought back to the centre where he has resumed the hunger strike.

No access to families

The Abolish ISA Movement, a local pressure group, expressed concern over the swift deterioration of the detainees' health and urged camp authorities to grant daily access for their families.

It also called on the state-backed the Human Rights Commission, also known as Suhakam, to visit the camp to monitor the hunger strike.

"This has become even more urgent now with the detainees growing weaker and are all at the risk of damaging their health permanently and possibly losing their precious lives in the coming days," the group said in a statement.

New York-based Human Rights Watch joined in the call for their release, noting that the government had failed to provide any evidence to support its claims that the 16 detainees were KMM members.

"The international community needs to let the Malaysian government know that it will not accept the war on terror as justification for locking people up for years without any evidence of wrongdoing," it said in a statement.

"If the government does not have the evidence to bring these men to trial, they should be released immediately."

Arrests 'politically motivated'

Human Rights Watch said local and international observers have expressed concern that the arrests may have been a politically motivated attempt by former premier Mahathir Mohamed to connect the opposition party to Islamist militant violence.

"The Malaysian government is responsible for the life and well-being of the detainees, and should allow independent organisations to monitor their condition," said Sam Zarifi, Human Rights Watch deputy director for Asia.

A total of more than 80 alleged Islamic militants are held under the ISA, which allows for two-year detention periods that can be renewed indefinitely.

Rights groups have urged the government to scrap the legislation but the government maintains that detention without trial is needed as a first line of defence against terrorism. - AFP