Dear Friends,
As this year comes to an end, we cannot but help reflect on the human rights situation in Asia and worry about our friends who are still suffering under miserable conditions. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is involved in the campaign to abolish the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Malaysia as well as several other Asian countries, even if the name of the law is different, since the Malaysian government arrested and detained human rights activists and opposition political leaders earlier this year without a trial.
In this spirit, we are sending you updates on this situation and are forwarding you the appeal below of SUARAM, a Malaysian human rights group, in order for you to express your solidarity for the ISA victims. AHRC also would like to express our strong solidarity and send our warmest greetings for the Muslim holiday of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and the birthday of our friend, Tian Chua, an ISA detainee.
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission
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UPDATE ON MALAYSIAN DETAINEES
– ISA detainee placed under house arrest
On Nov. 3, Dr Badrul Amin Bahron, one of the 10 political and social activists arrested under the ISA in April this year and sent to Kamunting Detention Camp for two years in June, was released under strict conditions.
For example, Dr. Badrul is forbidden to talk to the media about the conditions in prison, to stand for political office, to participate in political activities or gatherings. He is also confined to the district where he lives for 24 hours a day and can only leave the area with written permission from the police to whom he has to report every week. He must sleep in his own house each night. Dr. Badrul feels that this is even more restrictive than being in prison.
– Conditions for the other five ISA detainees
Since they went on a boycott of prison food on Sept. 11, 2001, some of the demands of the five political and social activists detained in Malaysia under the ISA since April have been met. They have now stopped the boycott, although prison food has not improved significantly.
The detainees are now allowed to see each other during a one-hour recreation period every day. They will also celebrate the Muslim New Year Hari Raya Aidilfitri with their families.
However, it is not known whether those who were reported to have health complaints – for example, Tian Chua has had asthma attacks and Hisham has suffered from severe migraine headaches – have been allowed to see a doctor.
Generally, the family and friends who have visited the detainees have found them in good spirits.
While we continue to press the Malaysian government to release them unconditionally, and in the long run to abolish the draconian ISA, we would like to encourage you to send some special greetings to them at this time of the year.
APPEAL LETTER FROM SUARAM
Re: Send Hari Raya greeting card to Muslim detainees under ISA and
birthday card to Tian Chua
Since the arrest of our friends, Tian Chua, Hishamuddin Rais, Mohd. Ezam Mohd. Noor, Hajisaari Sungip and Lokman Adam under the notorious ISA in April this year, eight months have passed. Although our friends are still behind bars, they are, however, still in high spirits.
With the coming of Hari Raya (a major religious festival for Muslims after going through the month-long fast of Ramadan) on Dec. 16 or 17 and the approach of the birthday of Tian Chua on Dec. 21, we urge you to send Hari Raya greeting cards and a birthday card to these political detainees who have committed no crime but who have been critical of injustice, corruption, cronyism and the violation of human rights practices of the Malaysian government. They were merely exercising their basic human rights and seeking to uphold human dignity.
Under the ISA, these detainees have been brutally deprived of the right to an open and fair trial, the right to be presumed innocent before trial and the right to legal representation to defend themselves.
We encourage you to circulate this letter to your circle of friends and relatives. Please send the Hari Raya greeting card to Hishamuddin Rais, Mohd. Ezam Mohd. Noor, Hajisaari Sungip, Lokman Adam and the birthday card to Tian Chua to express your solidarity and support for their struggle at the following address:
Kamunting Detention Camp
34009 Taiping,
Perak, Malaysia
Your card will be a big encouragement to the detainees. For more information on ISA detention, please visit www.suaram.org/isa. We thank you for your solidarity support and cooperation.
Released by:
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram)
383, Jalan 5/59, Petaling Garden,
Petaling Jaya, 46000
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: 60 3 77843525
Fax: 60 3 77843526
Email: wkpeng@pc.jaring.my
Web site: www.suaram.org
