There was no use of physical force on the 10 Internal Security Act detainees, with the exception of one who claimed to have been pushed to the ground from his chair and was allegedly denied an opportunity to lodge a police report, said the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) today.

It added that while the detainees generally looked fit and healthy, one detainee has lost a considerable amount of weight.

However, Suhakam did not name any of the detainees in its press statement which was released after a three-hour meeting with them, held at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.

It said that Special Branch deputy director Abdul Razak Sulaiman and another police officer were present throughout the interview.

"Suhakam had requested for the meeting with the detainees to be without the presence of police officers but this request was turned down due to security reasons," the statement lamented.

From the commissioners' observations and limited physical contact with the detainees, it was nevertheless noted that "there were apparent signs of anxiety on the part of the detainees".

The commissioners, comprising Anuar Zainal Abidin, Mehrun Siraj, Dr Mohammad Hirman Ritom Abdullah and Prof Hamdan Adnan, were allowed access to the detainees yesterday, six weeks after Suhakam had sent a letter dated April 13 requesting for the meeting.

The 10 detainees - comprising reformasi activists and leaders of the opposition party Keadilan - were arrested in a dragnet from April 10 to April 26 to preempt what Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai described as a "militant attempt" to overthrow the government.

They are Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua; party leader Dr Badrul Amin Baharom; Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor; Youth leaders N Gobalakrishnan, Lokman Noor Adam, Abdul Ghani Haroon and Saari Sungib; social activist-cum- malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais; Free Anwar Campaign webmaster (Freeanwar.com) Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin; and human rights activist Badaruddin Ismail.

Eight-hour interrogation

Suhakam said that police interrogation of the detainees lasted a " reasonable" eight hours daily with lunch and prayer breaks in between.

However the commissioners said that "one detainee alleged the environment was one of fear, intimidation and uncertainty of what may happen to him while another claimed that the interrogation was carried out in a professional and intellectual manner".

"One detainee felt that being detained has been a learning experience for him, giving him the opportunity to appreciate more the police's point of view."

The statement added that the detainees were provided with different levels of living comfort, with one detainee was being given a room complete with a refrigerator, television set and an air-conditioning set while another only had a poorly ventilated room measuring eight by nine feet.

"Suhakam also found out that while all of them were given blankets, only some had mattresses and pillows. All were given adequate clothing although one detainee was kept only in his underwear for more than a day in a police lock-up."

According to Suhakam, though reading materials were provided, they were only given after repeated requests and the first 30 days. A request for pen and paper by one detainee however was denied.

Medical attention was adequate but some of the detainees expressed dissatisfaction with the food provided. One detainee was given fast food but another was only given packet rice every day.

All detainees have been granted family visits.

No press conference

When contacted, human rights commissioner Hamdan refused to comment on whether there had been cases of human rights violations against the ISA detainees.

"I think you can infer from the statement if there had been any cases of human rights abuses," he told malaysiakini .

He added that the police had requested Suhakam not to give a press conference to the reporters who were waiting outside the city police headquarters after their meeting with the detainees.

Meanwhile, an appeal to the Federal Court of the habeas corpus case for Tian, Ezam, Saari, Hishamuddin and Raja Petra will be heard on June 18.

On April 25, the habeas corpus applications of the five were quashed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court, with judge Augustine Paul ruling that the court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the case.

In a separate case, Shah Alam High Court judge Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus will announce his decision for the habeas corpus applications of Abdul Ghani and Gobalakrishnan tomorrow.

Those of Badrul, Lokman and Badaruddin will be heard before the Shah Alam High Court on June 14.

Habeas corpus is a writ ordering prisoners to be brought before a court or a judge to ascertain whether their detention is lawful.