The hunger strike campaign at the Kuala Lumpur PAS headquarters in support of the six Internal Security Act detainees will continue despite an appeal to stop by ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

One of the hunger strikers, Muhammad Hidir Khalid, 27, said campaign organiser Anti-ISA Movement (GMI) had an emergency meeting with Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail last night to discuss Anwars call.

The meeting at the PAS headquarters, which ended at 1.30am, decided that the hunger strike will continue as long as their demands for the detainees to be released and for Anwar to seek medical treatment of his own choice, were not met.

According to Hidir, despite the letter of appeal from Anwar, the six detainees have not given up their hunger strike campaign.

This is not about Anwar; this is about principles. As long as the six and Anwar continue to hunger strike, we will also do so, he told malaysiakini.

Wan Azizah was barred from seeing the six detainees in Kamunting yesterday. She had wanted to tell them about Anwars letter, which requested them to end the hunger strike as he was concerned about their well-being.

The six, Keadilan leaders Tian Chua, Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, Saari Sungib, Lokman Noor Adam, Dr Badrulamin Bahron and malaysiakini columnist-cum-filmmaker Hishamuddin Rais, are serving a two-year detention order for allegedly planing to topple the government through militant means.

The detainees have denied the charge and claimed that their arrests were politically motivated.

They began their hunger strike on April 10 to mark the first anniversary of their incarceration and to demand that they be released or charged in open court.

Put on drips

GMI also said it obtained a letter from Chua yesterday which said that Badrul and Hishamuddin have been put on intravenous drips after the duo suffered cramps and pain the previous night.

According to the letter, Kamunting authorities had informed the other detainees that the duo will be hospitalised.

However, we found out this morning that they were only brought to the in-house clinic, wrote Chua.

Meanwhile at the PAS headquarters, hunger striker Tuw Ah Mei, 63, who hails from Pahang, said she is persisting with the hunger strike because she is angry with the government.

She said she was willing to die for a cause.

During my hunger strike, I think only about my reason for doing so and I do not feel the hunger, she told malaysiakini.

If I die because of this, I hope my body will be sent to (Prime Minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamads house, added the woman who is on her ninth day of hunger strike.

Decide soon

Keadilan Negeri Sembilan Youth leader Badrul Hisham Saharin, 26, who is also hunger striking, said the group may decide soon on whether to continue with the hunger strike.

He said he was pleased with the recent decision by Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) to conduct an inquiry into the ISA detainees.

There have been international appeals but none was as effective as what we are doing in Malaysia, he told malaysiakini.

Yesterday, Suhakam issued a press statement voicing its concern about the detainees and promised to look into their complaints.

However, the date of the inquiry will only be decided next week when the new Suhakam committee is appointed.