updated version

Organisers of an anti-ISA protest had to shelve their plan to hand over a memorandum to Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at his residence today after they were stopped by the police.

Hundreds of police sealed off the road leading to Abdullah's residence in Jalan Bellamy in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

Instead, the crowd of 500 were told by the police to gather at the Kwang Si Chinese Cemetery off Jalan Lapangan Terbang Lama, about 2km from Abdullah's residence.

At about 3pm, deputy city police chief Dell Akbar Khan agreed to allow a 12-person delegation to present the memorandum.

Ten minutes later, however, organiser S Arutchelvam was told that the plan to send the delegates was cancelled by the police.

The group, carrying anti-ISA placards, then sought to spread out letters and postcards meant for Abdullah on the cemetery ground to count them.

Their activity was soon disrupted when police gave the crowd three minutes to disperse.

Arutchelvam said he was extremely disappointed by the police action.

"We have notified Pak Lah on June 5 and he did not say 'don't come'," he told malaysiakini .

Abdullah, who is also deputy prime minister, is in Sarawak for an official visit. He is expected to fly to Terengganu for a two-day visit later today.

Before the crowd dispersed, Zaid Kamaruddin, organiser of the Abolish ISA Movement, thanked those present for their patience and cooperation.

Convoy to Kamunting

Keadilan's vice-president Irene Fernandez, who also addressed the crowd, said that a delegation would be going to the Kamunting detention camp tomorrow where four reformasi activists are being held.

"We are going to convoy to Kamunting. They (the police) have tried to separate us from those who are detained. But we cannot forget them. Those who want to follow us can gather at the Rawang toll at 7.30am tomorrow," she said.

Last Saturday, Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua, party Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, party supreme council member Saari Sungib, and film director-artiste-writer Hishamuddin Rais were sent to the Kamunting detention camp in Perak on orders of Abdullah.

Two others, Keadilan youth leaders Lokman Noor Adam and Dr Badrul Amin Baharom, who is also International Islamic University lecturer, are still in police custody.

After a one-minute absolute silence in solidarity with the six detainees, the crowd dispersed.

Some of the prominent NGOs present today were Artist Against ISA, Chinese education movement Dong Jiao Zong, environmental body Sarawak Ideal Time and People's Manifesto Initiative, a coalition of 11 organisations.

They were accompanied by opposition leaders Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, PRM president Dr Syed Husin Ali, DAP national publicity secretary Ronnie Liu, PAS youth leader Sallehuddin Ayub and Parti Sosialis Malaysia Dr Mohd Nasir Mohd Hashim.

Meanwhile, Dell told reporters that 300 police personnel, half of them women from the Federal Reserve Unit and anti-riot unit, were deployed to control the crowd.