The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) will have a dialogue session with the police on Thursday and its commissioner Anuar Zainal Abidin said today the issue of the former visiting ISA detainees will "definitely" be raised.

"I will definitely raise the issue with the police this Thursday", Anuar told malaysiakini .

According to the commissioner, the reasons given by the police on the delay in allowing Suhakam to visit the detainees was "implausible" as the law clearly states that Suhakam has the right to visit the detainees.

"I do not think that there was sufficient reason given in the police' reply to our request. The law is clear that we have been given the right to visit the detainees," he said, adding that "we are not going to interfere with their investigations. We are just carrying out our mandate".

When asked what other issues would be addressed during the dialogue scheduled to take place at Suhakam's headquarters in Menara Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, Anuar said he was not sure as there wasn't a set agenda.

However, a source in Suhakam informed malaysiakini that the issue of freedom of assembly would also be raised.

Green light

About a week after the latest ISA crackdown beginning April 10, Suhakam had made a request to visit the detainees and subsequently wrote a letter to the police seeking access to them. The Commission is still awaiting the green light.

Police later said that the commission would be allowed access at an "appropriate time".

To date 10 opposition leaders and human rights activists have been detained under the ISA which allows detention without trial.

Following the arrests, police said the detainees posed a threat to national security and were planning to topple the government via militant means.

Since May 3, police have permitted the families of five detainees to visit them. They are webmaster of Free Anwar Campaign website (Freeanwar.com) Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin and Keadilan leaders Dr Badrul Amin Baharom, Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor, Saari Sungib and Lokman Noor Adam.

However, families of five other detainees, Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua, party Youth leaders N Gobalakrishnan and Abdul Ghani Haroon; human rights activist Badaruddin Ismail and social activist-cum- malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais, have yet to be granted similar access.