FAC News - Saturday, February 16, 2002 11:47 AM

ISA Detainees boycott prison food

Six Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees in the Kamunting Detention Centre have been boycotting all food supplied by the authorities since Monday, 4 February 2002, to protest their continued detention without trial and the re-arrest of Dr Badrulamin.

The six - Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor, Saari Sungib Dr Badrulamin Bahron, Chua Tian Cheng, Lokman Noor Adam and Hishamuddin Rais – were arrested with four others over various dates in April 2001.

In a press statement released yesterday, the detainees said, "We profusely protest the recent re-arrest of Dr Badrulamin Bahron under the Internal Security Act, with no valid reason given, and his continued detention in the Kamunting Detention Centre."

The detainees stressed that the justification for Dr Badrulamin’s arrest in April 2001 was that he was allegedly part of a conspiracy to bring in guns, bombs, rocket launchers and Molotov Cocktails and, according to the police, was therefore a threat to national security.

"Dr Badrulamin’s re-arrest, however, had nothing to do with him being a threat to national security, either directly or indirectly," said the press statement. "Yet the ISA was used to re-arrest and detain him."

"We demand that the Minister of Home Affairs justify his re-arrest and detention with a valid and credible explanation," added the detainees.

"Dr Badrulamin’s re-arrest affirms our belief that our arrests and detention since April 2001 were politically motivated and had nothing to do whatsoever with the allegation that we are a threat to national security."

The press release went on to say, "We further demand that we be formally charged for whatever crimes we are alleged to have committed and be given the benefit of a proper and fair trial in a court of law."

"The government’s failure to bring us to trial would prove that the allegations against us are unfounded and a figment of its imagination. This would render the government no other alternative than to free us without further delay."

The detainees said, in anticipation of the government’s failure to respond to their demands and to protest their continued detention, they have rejected all prison food since Monday, 4 February 2002, and this will continue until such time that the government responds to their demands. They added that the prison food boycott will be escalated should there be no response from the government.

According to Lokman’s wife who visited him on 11 February, Lokman has lost 13 kilograms since his detention almost ten months ago.

"At the moment they are only boycotting all food supplied by the authorities. However, if there is no response from the authorities, they may consider a total hunger strike."

Full text of the press release.