The Anti-ISA Movement (AIM) has urged the government to lift the Restricted Residence Order imposed on five students released from ISA detention with condition yesterday.

"AIM is very annoyed with the government's decision to impose the order on them, and they have to abide by the stringent provisions of the draconian law," AIM secretary Chang Lih Kang said in a statement today.

The Restrictive Residence Enactment 1933 provides arbitrary restriction on the movement of persons, as the Internal Security Minister can deem it necessary that the suspect be required to reside in a particular district.

The enactment was originally meant to be used against recurrent offenders, secret society members and suspected wrongdoers or those considered to be a nuisance to society.

The five students were restricted to their respective hometowns in Kedah, Kelantan, Johor and Selangor.

The five, tagged as ' Karachi 5 ', are Mohd Akil Abdul Raof 22, Eddy Erman Shahime 20, Abi Dzar Jaafar 19, Mohd Ikhwan Abdullah 20 and Mohd Radzi Abdul Razak 20. They were detained in November 2003 for alleged involvement in militant activities.

The students who had studied at two institutions in Karachi were previously detained by the Pakistani authorities for alleged involvement with terror groups.

In the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) result released recently, Eddy, Abidzar, Mohd Ikhwan and Mohd Radzi passed with flying colours.

Family members detained

Contacted later, Chang revealed that Mohd Ikhwan's father, Dr Abdullah Daud, a Geo-info lecturer of UTM Johor, is still held at the Kamunting detention centre. He has been detained since January 2002 for alleged involvement in the Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiah (JI).

He said Eddy Erman's father Shahime Remli and Mohamad Akil's brother Mohd Fadhali Abdul Raof - also detained for alleged involvement in JI in 2003 - are still serving time in Kamunting.

"However, Muhammad Radzi's father, headmaster Abdul Razak Baharuddin, was released in November last year," he added.

The ISA allows detention without trial. Upon the expiry of a two-year detention, the Internal Security Ministry has the discretion to extent the order indefinitely.

The Star reported today that former lecturer Wan Min Wan Mat, 45, was also released together with the 'Karachi 5' yesterday.

Release all detainees

Meanwhile Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), while welcoming the release of the six, repeated its call to the government to release all remaining ISA detainees.

Commissioner KC Vohrah said the government should do the same especially in cases where detainees are being held even after completing their initial two-year detention.

'Suhakam further urges the government to review all cases under the ISA and to examine whether the alleged grounds of detention of these detainees are really prejudicial to the security, essential services or economic life of Malaysia," said Vohrah in a statement.

The government must strike a balance between national security and human rights, he added.

The commissioner said the government should charge these detainees in court of law if there is evidence to support their detention.