The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) will recommend better visitation rights for detainees at the Kamunting detention centre in a report that will be released next month, a commissioner said today.

According to Prof Hamdan Adnan, the report will recommend, among others, that the detainees should not be separated by a barrier when meeting family members, and that complete privacy should be accorded for consultations with lawyers.

At the moment, communications between a detainee and any visitor are monitored by an officer from the centre as provided by the Rules and Regulations made under the ISA. A barrier is also placed to prohibit family members from mingling freely with a detainee.

The Kamunting centre houses detainees, including political prisoners, who are held without trial.

"The report will also recommend that the inmates be given better access to doctors and more nutritious food," Hamdan told malaysiakini today.

"I have requested that the report be sent to the Home Ministry and the Prison's Department today and the public would probably be able to obtain a copy of the report next month," he said

Hamdan said the report, which is the first of its kind, was approved by Suhakam members yesterday after a meeting held at the commission's headquarters in Menara Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Hunger strike

The authorities at the detention centre came under criticisms recently when families of six detained Keadilan and reformasi activists alleged that the rights of the detainees were abused.

The six, including Keadilan vice-president Chua Tian Chang (Tian Chua), party leaders Mohamed Ezam Mohd Nor, Lokman Nor Adam, Dr Badrul Amin Bahron, reformasi activist Saari Sungib and malaysiakini columnist-cum-film-maker Hishamuddin Rais, initiated a hunger strike on Sept 11 to protest against the abuses.

They have been detained there since June under a two-year Internal Security Act detention order for alleged involvement in a militant attempt to overthrow the government.

Following a memorandum by the families of the detainees to Suhakam, Hamdan led a delegation to visit the centre in July to look into the various complaints made.

Sarawak visit

Hamdan also told malaysiakini that the commission would also send a delegation to Sarawak at the end of the month to look into the problems of the Penans, and complaints made by indigenous tribes displaced by the controversial multi-billion ringgit Bakun dam project.

"Commissioners Anuar Zainal Abidin, Dr Salleh Mohd Noor, Prof Chiam Heng Keng, Dr Muhammad Hirman Ritom Abdullah and Simon Sipaun will leave on Oct 28 and return on Nov 3," Hamdan said.