More of the detainees held without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA) are expected to be freed in the next few months, said Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, the minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

Mohd Nazri, also the parliamentary human rights caucus chief, told a press conference that he raised the matter of infringement of human rights of ISA detainees, and that the cabinet has agreed to look into their plight.

"Five detainees have been released and more are expected to be freed in the next few months," he said, without elaborating.

He had met with wives of ISA detainees in January and promised to help them secure the early release of their husbands.

Last month, five students dubbed the 'Karachi 5' were released from ISA detention, but placed under restricted residence. They had been detained in November 2003 for alleged involvement in militant activities while in Pakistan.

The 'Karachi 5' who had studied at two institutions in Karachi were previously detained by the Pakistani authorities for alleged involvement with terror groups.

Former lecturer Wan Min Wan Mat , said to be senior member of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI), was also freed after being detained since September 2002.

Caucus visits

The government currently is holding more than 90 alleged Islamic militants under the ISA at the Kamunting detention camp, claiming that they are affiliated with terror groups such as JI and the so-called Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia.

Human rights activists and lobbyists have been calling for the ISA to be repealed, while the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia has urged the government to release all remaining detainees.

The parliamentary human rights caucus, which met last week, fixed May 5 and 12 for its visit to the Kamunting detention camp and the Simpang Renggam detention centre respectively.

The caucus also discussed and adopted the views of a joint memorandum by a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are opposed to ' moral policing '. It expected to issue a statement.

However, Mohd Nazri said any request to repeal Islamic laws would have to be dealt with by the respective state governments as Islam is a state subject that falls under the Ruler.

The bi-partisan parliamentary human rights caucus, formed last year, comprises a handful of MPs who are tasked to look into cases of human rights violations.