Amnesty International today urged the government to charge or release the suspected Islamic militants held under the Internal Security Act (ISA) as 16 detainees began their third week on hunger strike.

The human rights group said the health of the hunger strikers "is reported to be deteriorating", and called on the authorities to ensure that they receive appropriate medical care and have regular access to independent doctors.

Amnesty's statement comes after Malaysia's own state-backed Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) pressed for the men to be brought to court or set free.

The organisation welcomed last week's inspection visit by Suhakam, which found that at least four detainees had been taken to hospital for treatment before being returned to detention.

The detainees, including Nik Adli, son of PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat, were held on suspicion of terrorist links in 2001.

"Presumed guilty of unspecified links to 'terrorism' and denied the right to defend themselves before the courts, Malaysia's 'forgotten' prisoners continue to endure prolonged detention," Amnesty said.

"Detention without trial remains a violation of human rights - whether in Malaysia's Kamunting Detention Camp or in Guantanamo Bay," Amnesty said, in a reference to detainees held by the United States.

Selective manner

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 it maintains that detention without trial is needed as a first line of defence against terrorism.

Amnesty said the law "has frequently been deployed by the authorities in a politically-motivated and selective manner," since it was introduced to fight a communist insurgency in the 1960s.

Several of the detainees are members of PAS, which presents the main challenge to the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in elections due on March 21.

Pressed last week about the fate of the detainees, Abdullah did not address the issue of the hunger strike directly, but said, "All these cases are reviewed very regularly.

"So it is not something we do for the pleasure of doing it. There must be some reasons." - AFP