Kamunting camp bars calls from Malaysiakini

 

Staff at the Kamunting detention camp where the last group of Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees are held are not allowed to answer calls from Malaysiakini.

According to a staff member, the directive specifically mentions the news portal.

"The directive was made by the camp administration. I'm not sure if reporters from other (news organisations) are allowed," the staff member said yesterday.

Malaysiakini has been attempting to get in contact with the camp director Roslen Ramli to obtain information on the ongoing hunger strike by one of the ISA detainees.

Detainee Fadzullah Abdul Razak has been on hunger strike to demand freedom for more than a fortnight.

Solitary confinement

According to the Anti-ISA Movement (GMI) and lawyers from Lawyers for Liberty who have visited the camp in the past weeks, Fadzullah is kept in solitary confinement but the reason is unknown.

He had started his hunger strike with fellow Malaysian detainee Razali Kassan on June 21, but the latter had to end the strike when he was hospitalised last week.

This is the second hunger strike mounted since May, with the earlier one was called off after negotiations with the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).

In a dialogue with Suhakam, Razali's wife Nunurheni Onim said her husband complained of assault by camp officials after launching the strike.

Another seven detainees - two Malaysians, four Sri Lankans and one Indian national - joined the strike on June 26.

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Sunday said that he will respond to the hunger strike "next week".

The detainees are demanding immediate release after the Internal Security Act - the law which they were held under - was repealed on June 22.

However, the authorities said that the detainees will need to serve out their detention orders as Section 32 of the new Act states that any order made under ISA stands unless cancelled by the home minister.