A sign hanging outside the wooden barracks reads simply, "Unforgettable Memories".

But the memories are mostly bitter for inmates of Malaysia's infamous Kamunting detention camp in Taiping, which for more than 30 years has held a succession of politicians, dissidents, religious "deviants" and terrorist suspects.

The latest high-profile detainee among them is Sri Lankan businessman BSA Tahir ( photo ), who was locked up on May 28 for his alleged role in the international nuclear blackmarket scandal involving Pakistan's disgraced scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Reporters recently caught a rare glimpse of life inside Kamunting during a visit by Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar as he met detainees to look into claims they were tortured like Iraqi prisoners in Baghdad's US-run Abu Ghraib prison.

Formerly a fruit orchard, Kamunting is sprawled across 230 hectares acres in a quiet hamlet in Perak state three hours north of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

From the main entrance, it is a 15-minute walk to a fortress-like structure behind high fences standing starkly against a lush backdrop of green rolling hills.

The 104 inmates, including 23 foreigners, are all held under the feared Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for indefinite detention without trial.

Essential tool against terrorism

Originally designed to combat a communist rebellion half a century ago, more than 4,000 people have been detained under the ISA since 1960 and critics say it has been used more recently simply to crush political dissent. The government says it is an essential tool against terrorism.

Several alleged Islamic militants broke down during talks with Noh and made emotional pleas for freedom, saying they were in the dark as to why their original two-year detention orders had been extended recently despite having cooperated fully with the authorities.

"This is not rehabilitation but torture," cried one man in his 50s.

Noh met with alleged members of the al-Qaeda-linked regional militant group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and a local organisation, the Malaysian Militant Group (KMM), which is accused of trying to overthrow the government.

In one block, consisting of two wooden single-storey barracks reserved for some two dozen alleged JI members, detainees dressed in white T-shirts and long blue pants appeared resigned to their fate.

But in a block housing alleged KMM members, detainees were more vocal and one of them accused Noh of making a political show out of the visit.

Security here appeared tighter and detainees lived in small cells that looked like police lock-ups, unlike the open-quarters concept in the first dormitory.

Nik Adli, the son of the influential spiritual leader of the opposition Islamic Party (PAS), was among about a dozen detainees who held talks with Noh in the second block.

A religious teacher who is accused of being the KMM ringleader, Nik Adli showed no emotion as he listened quietly to grouses aired by his colleagues, centering on the injustices of the ISA and financial problems faced by their families.

Most of the detainees told Noh the physical abuses they had complained of occurred in police custody during the initial 60-day interrogation before being sent to the camp.

One alleged KMM member claimed he was hauled in under the ISA more than two years ago simply because he attended religious classes and donated money for Muslim causes.

"I was detained on the basis of suspicion. This is a form of abuse that is subtle and worse than any physical torture," he told the deputy minister.

Famous Kamunting 'alumni'

Among the famous "alumni" of Kamunting are jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, who was locked away as an Islamic student activist in the 1970s before joining the government, and current opposition leader Lim Kit Siang, leader of the Democratic Action Party.

Anwar, sacked and detained in 1998 after a falling-out with then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, is now serving a 15-year sentence for corruption and sodomy at another prison.

"Kamunting Detention Centre stands out as our national shame and disgrace," said P Ramakrishnan, an activist with local rights group Aliran.

"It is a place of injustice and a cruel reminder to the whole world that Malaysia still practises barbaric methods of denial and resorts to false accusations to put away political critics and honest dissidents."

Even the state-backed Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has called for the ISA to be scrapped.

Among ISA detainees now at Kamunting are 75 alleged JI members, including a Malaysian woman believed to be the wife of detained top JI figure Hambali. - AFP