Organisers of the aborted candlelight vigil last week have applied for a police permit to hold the event on Jan 5.

Abolish ISA Movement (GMI) president Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh told Malaysiakini that he has sent the application to Kuala Lumpur’s Dang Wangi police station yesterday.

According to him, the police are expected to contact GMI to get more details on the vigil.

“We will wait until next week for the decision from the police,” he said.

When asked whether the event would proceed if the police refuse to issue a permit, Syed Ibrahim said the organising committee will meet to decide its next course of action should that happen.

The candlelight vigil, which was to be held last Saturday, was postponed at the eleventh hour when the police said no permit had been issued for the gathering.

Declaring the vigil an illegal assembly, the police moved to block all public access to the venue, the historic Dataran Merdeka in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman also warned they would not hesitate to take action against those who attend the vigil.

Subsequently, GMI decided to put off the event and apply for a permit as advised by the police.

Vigil to protest against ISA

The candlelight vigil is to show solidarity with those who are being held under the Internal Security Act, which allows detention without trial.

The event, to be attended by family members of ISA detainees and as well as civil society groups, will issue the demand for the government to abolish the much-criticised security law.

Last month, several civil society groups such as Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) and Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) had held several massive rallies, where the police took tough action in dispersing the crowd with chemical-laced water and tear gas.

However, last Wednesday the police had allowed a gathering at Suhakam headquarters to protest against the government’s recent clampdown on street demonstrations.

While the police remained on a close watch with more than 30 officers stationed around the area, no action was taken against the protesters, who dispersed peacefully an hour later.

Four ISA detainees freed

Meanwhile, GMI revealed that four ISA detainees had been released on Dec 19 after being held without trial for up to five years. The four were Bakkery Mahhamud, Mohd Zamri Sukirman, Sabri Jaafar, Zamzuri Sukirman.

They were all sent to Kamunting Detention Camp between December 2002 and January 2003 in connection with militant network Jemaah Islamiah (JI).

The four were released conditionally under Restrictive Residence Act 1933 which provides for confinement or exclusion to a restricted area by the internal security minister.

“A person implicated with the Act would not have opportunity to defend himself in legal proceedings before the administrative order is made,” said a GMI statement released today.

Several ISA detainees were released in June and August this year. They were all detained for alleged involvement in JI.

GMI said it is concerned over the conditional and selective releases of ISA detainees by the government.

“There are scores of detainees who are still being detained in the Kamunting Detention Camp for the same allegations as those who were released. None of them has been tried in a court of law, but sentenced by the internal security minister to indefinite detention without trial.”