news flash

The families of four reformasi key leaders who were sent to the Kamunting detention camp under the Internal Security Act (ISA) on Saturday visited them separately this morning, said the brother of one of the detainees.

Five family members visited Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua for about an hour today, his brother Chua Tian Chien told malaysiakini , adding that the families of the other detainees were also present at the camp.

"We visited the detainees separately in four rooms. They (detainees) managed to have a glimpse of each other and waved just before they entered the rooms," said Tian Chien.

However, he added that some families were not directly informed by the police about the visits but got the news from several Keadilan leaders.

Chua was among the 10 opposition leaders and reformasi activists arrested in an ISA dragnet launched on April 10. Together with three ISA detainees, he was sent to the detention camp in Perak from the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters on June 2.

The order to further detain the four came from Home Affairs Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The other three are Keadilan leaders Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor, Saari Sungib and social activist-cum- mnalaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais.

Three other ISA detainees had been released so far. They are Keadilan leaders Abdul Ghani Haroon, N Gobalakrishnan and Free Anwar Campaign webmaster Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin.

[Full report to follow]