My Experience with police violence an an ISA detainee

The ISA is a law that has few checks and balances. During custody under police for the initial 60 days are particularly risky. All normal provisions for safe custody of a detainee do not exist for detention under the ISA.

The detainee does not to appear before a magistrate within 24 hours. The place of detention is secret. All of these provisions in other law is there to ensure that a detainee is safe. However in Malaysian law these safeguards are missing for ISA detainees.

Even habeas corpus actions have not helped because the courts have ruled that the Home Minister will ensure safe custody. Yet the experiences of detention under ISA should prove otherwise.

We decided to share our experiences under the ISA precisely because we are concerned about the welfare of these who are presently detained.

I was arrested under the ISA on 31st October 1987 during Operasi Lalang. I was actually taken captive by the Singapore police and sent across the causeway to the Malaysian police who then formally detained me under the ISA. So you can see how much solidarity there is between the police forces of the two countries when it comes to the ISA.

After that, I was taken to Sentul police station the following day. From there, I was blindfolded and taken to a secret centre. There, I was completely at the mercies of the police. In fact, I should not say mercy because in my experience, the police force does not possess this quality of mercy.

During the sixty days and subsequently I have seen very little inclination towards mercy by the Special Branch and other departments in the police force that I had to deal with.

I was on medication at that time for a painful condition called ulcerative colitis in addition to endometriosis. I had my medication with me at that time of arrest. However, I was given this concerns about my health to the police. Thus, in addition to the pain of interrogation I had to cope with physical pain brought on by my condition of ill-health at that time.

There is only one word to describe interrogation during the sixty days - it is violent. The police heap out liberally verbal violence almost without fail. They add to this humiliation and the condition of helplessness.

In the women' movement, we are familiar with this type of violence because women often experience it in their homes. I want to say that I experienced physical violence for the first time in my life during so-called safe custody of the Polis Di Raja Malaysia.

I had to show a policewoman a soiled sanitary pad before I could get sanitary pads and also get to keep my panties on. The police ask that you give up all items of clothing in exchange for the Chinese pants and blouse that they give you.

In my case, the police did not stop with verbal violence. For whatever reason that they had they decided to administer beating during one of the interrogation session. It was a deliberate strategy that they used because for that particular session they dispensed with the female Special Branch officer who was present at all other interrogation sessions.

I believe that this is against police regulations to ensure that policemen do not sexually harrass detainees. At this session, my Interrogation Officer was particularly abusive with his tongue. He literally worked himself into a rage and said that I had lied. This is an irony because lying was practically all that the police do during interrogation.

He then said that he was going to beat me and asked whether I preferred a wooden stick or a metal stick. I am not sure whether I stated my preference or not. Anyway, he started to beat me with a wooden beam which looked very like the 2 by 4 beams that are used in carpentry. He beat me on the legs and particularly hard on the soles of my feet.

I was required to hold my feet one at a time so that he could beat the soles. I am not able to tell how long the session lasted because I did not have the luxury of a watch. All the beating was accompanied by even more painful abuse. At the end of the session, I was told that if I did not cooperate or if I continued to lie, I would be subjected to worse violence.

It was the first time that I was beaten with a stick like that. Even my father had never laid his hands on me like that. This is what makes me particularly angry.

Why should taxpayers money be used to pay the police force so that they can abuse people. What is worse is that taxpayers money is used to train the police force to be violent whenever they want to.

I want to then look at the distinctive record of the police in the recent past against persons that were detained under the ISA. Anwar Ibrahim was given his black eye during detention under the ISA. Dr Munawar and Anwar's adopted brother were both abused while under the ISA.

In their case, they even had to pay for allegedly giving false evidence when they blew the whistle on the police. I take it that the police has learnt how to use the courts particularly the courts of some irrelevant judges to further punish people who speak the truth.

I know that 60 days is particularly useful for the police to be violent because the detainee has no other recourse to justice at that time.

After looking at my own experience, having seen the affidavits of others like Joshua Jamaludin (whom I have spoken to as well while in Kamunting) and having heard the testimonies of Anwar, Dr Munawar and Anwar's adopted brother, I have to say that I fear for the safety of the 10 who are currently detained under the ISA.

In addition, I have personally witnessed the brutality of the police to Reformasi people during peaceful assemblies. I do not believe that the 10 detained are being treated well by the police. I want to be proved wrong on this by the police allowing their families to visit them and see for themselves.

Otherwise, the police should produce them in court, even in the court of certained well-known judges who have endeared themselves to the hearts of Malaysians.

Irene Xavire