A Simpang Renggam detention centre inmate's wife wants to know if her husband, who was re-arrested after a court set him free, is alive as her attempts to visit him at the centre in Johor has proven futile.

K Mageswari's husband, Michael Soosai has been part of the week-long hunger strike involving 235 prisoners - all of whom are detained without trail - at the infamous detention centre.

She went to the prison yesterday evening with the hope of seeing the father of her 15 children and to check on his health as he has been refusing water and food since the protest began on Nov 12.

"After waiting for a while, a prison officer by the name of Ramachandran told me that my husband does not want to come down from his cell to see me. How can that be?

"I want to know what his condition is like and if he's in fact still alive. Have they (the prison authorities) done anything to him? Have they already buried his body? I'm his wife, I have a right to know," she said amid sobs when contacted today.

The prison official had also told her to return to the centre today for another 'attempt' at meeting her husband.

She said her husband was arrested on unclear charges when he went to the Rawang police station (in Selangor) on April 26 after receiving a call from the police. Three days later, he was sent to Simpang Renggam.

"On Oct 20, after hiring a lawyer, we filed a case with the Johor Baru High Court in a bid to get Michael released. The judge ruled at the end of the hearing that my husband was to be released with immediate effect," claimed Mageswari.

However, after walking out of the prison gates that night, her husband was re-arrested by the district police and has been incarcerated ever since.

Hospitalised striker

Meanwhile, Mageswari was at the Kluang Hospital to check on the condition of Balakrishnan Appala Naidu - her husband's fellow inmate and protestor - who was warded after suffering from dehydration.

"I just spoke to Bala and he is continuing with his strike and will only end it if he gets to meet with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and when the premier pours water down his throat. He wants justice," she said.

Balakrishnan who has also been in Simpang Renggam since April 29, is being detained under the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance, under which the government can detain suspects for two years to preserve public order and prevent violence.

He is a former politician and MIC branch chairperson who is accused of being involved in gangsterism and other vices.

His brother Thirumoorthy expressed concerned over his sibling's health.

"Bala's doctor just told me a few minutes ago that he is very weak, not active and his condition is not encouraging at all. I fear it's going to deteriorate," he said when contacted at the hospital.

He added that his bother was protesting against the poor living conditions at the centre, the ill-treatment of detainees and their continued incarceration without a trial.

"I can't confirm if the hunger strike is still on as we now have very limited access to the detainees but from what I've heard, it's not over," he said.

Simpang Renggam director Zulkifli Omar, when contacted, refused to comment on and confirm prison authorities' claims that the strike had ended.

Lobbying Suhakam

Meanwhile, M Arumugam, a coordinator at grassroots Persatuan Masyarakat Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan (Permas), an NGO which has been monitoring the strike, said out of the 235 striking, 165 were Malaysian Indians.

Arumugam was also on hand when an NGO delegation and family members of the detainees visited the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) office yesterday.

They were hoping to lobby commissioners to visit the prison but none were not around to receive their complaint.