The Defence Ministry has no information on which separatist movement that detained Keadilan Youth chief Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor was allegedly involved with, said its minister Najib Abdul Razak today.

Mohamad Ezam was among the four Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees sent to the Kamunting detention camp for two years on orders of Home Affairs Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last Saturday.

Following this, malaysiakini reported that in a statement issued by the Home Affairs Ministry on June 2 explaining Ezam's detention, he was said to have attempted "seeking help from separatist guerillas in a neighbouring country to endanger the lives of certain national leaders".

However, the statement did not elaborate on the allegation beyond saying that Ezam had had five secret meetings in several places including London for that purpose.

Foreign separatist movements have made headlines in media coverage, both domestic and international, in recent years.

Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim rebel group based in the Philippines, seized 21 hostages from Sabah's Pulau Sipadan in April last year and three from Pandanan in September, and brought them to the Philippine island of Jolo. The captives were released after huge ransoms were paid.

Muslim separatists in Southern Thailand were believed responsible for the April bombings in the city of Hadyai, which left one child dead and nearly 50 people injured.

Yesterday, police disclosed that they have detained an armed gang responsible for bank robberies and the murder of political figures such as former Lunas assembly representative Dr Joe Fernandez.

Police believed that the suspects arrested were linked to an international Islamic separatist group based in Aceh, Indonesia.

Finance minister post

At a press conference after officiating a function at the Defence Ministry, Najib refused to comment on the allegation of Ezam's separatist ties, adding that the justification for the ISA detention was the prerogative of the police and Home Affairs Ministry.

"I am not in the position to say anything about that (separatist movement). You (journalists) should ask the appropriate authority for this information. This is an ISA detention," he said.

On whether his ministry has the information but was unwilling to release it, the minister replied, "We do not have such information on that."

Meanwhile, when asked for comments on speculation that he may be the next finance minister, Najib said, "There are always speculations and rumours," adding that he had no time to entertain such speculations.

Earlier, Najib was presenting excellence service annual awards to armed forces personnel at the Defence Ministry. Also present at the award-giving ceremony were his deputy Mohd Shafie Apdal, defence ministry secretary-general Hashim Meon and armed forces chief General Ahmad Zahidi Zainuddin.

Of the 10 reformasi key leaders arrested in the ISA dragnet which began on April 10, two had been ordered to be released by the Shah Alam High Court on grounds that the detention was unlawful and done in bad faith, two had been released unconditionally and two are still being held by police.

Four of them had been transferred to the detention camp in Perak. Besides Mohamad Ezam, the other three were Keadilan leaders Tian Chua and Saari Sungib, and activist-writer Hishamuddin Rais.