The cabinet should instruct the police to immediately release the seven reformasi activists detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) last week if it is not satisfied with the evidence against them, an opposition leader said today.

"The cabinet should demand evidence from the police for alleging that the seven formed a 'secret cell' which was involved in a militant conspiracy to violently overthrow the government," said DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang in a statement.

The cabinet meets every Wednesday.

Lim also said that the cabinet members also must stop making "newfangled" and "unacceptable" statements regarding the ISA arrests.

He was referring to statements made by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Rais Yatim and Primary Industries Minister Dr Lim Keng Yaik on the detention of the seven.

Last week, seven reformasi activists, six of them Keadilan leaders, were detained by the police for allegedly planning violent street demonstrations and other militant methods to topple the government.

The seven are Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua, party Youth leaders Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, N Gobalakrishnan, Abdul Ghani Harun and Saari Sungib, Free Anwar Campaign (Freeanwar.com) webmaster Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin and social activist and malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais.

A boost

The detention was condemned by the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) who called for the immediate release of the seven, adding that it "deeply regretted" the use of ISA for the arrests.

"The present crackdown is cause for concern," the commission said, adding that those arrested should be charged and tried in an open court if they had committed any offence.

To this, Rais was reported on Sunday saying that the commission's "inappropriate comments" gave a boost to reformasi activities.

He said that Suhakam should let the police carry out their duty before airing its views, adding that the detention did not violate human rights as it was done within the ambit of the law.

Lim said that he was "flabbergasted" by Rais' logic that the human rights of the seven were not violated by their detention under the ISA.

"This coming from a person who had written the book Freedom under Executive Power in Malaysia where he argued eloquently that 'detention without trial is indeed the antithesis to the rule of law' and called for the immediate revocation of the ISA," said Lim.

Interrogation period

Lim also criticised Gerakan's Keng Yaik for saying that it was alright to detain the seven under the ISA for investigations but that they should be released if there were no evidence to charge them in court after the initial 60 days.

"Keng Yaik clearly does not understand what is in the ISA, which allows a person to be detained indefinitely without trial and evidence," said Lim.

He added that all cabinet ministers should understand that for those detained, human rights violation began with the ISA's 60-day investigation and interrogation period.

"The cabinet should demand the immediate release of the seven if the police cannot produce evidence to justify their detention under the ISA," said Lim.