For the past two years, Internal Security Act detainee Hishamuddin Rais had laboured over his garden at the Kamunting Detention Camp in Perak using a broom to plough and a table tennis bat as a hoe.

On May 4, his efforts went to waste when the camp authorities destroyed his garden in a matter of minutes.

"I have kept the eggplants for two years. My papaya can already be eaten, while I've been eating kangkung (water convolvulus) with instant noodles," he said in an undated letter which was made available to malaysiakini yesterday.

It is believed that the letter was written prior to an incident o­n May 9 where he and fellow inmate Tian Chua were allegedly assaulted by the security personnel in anti-riot gear.

The incident, which has been denied by the camp authorities, was said to have been sparked off when security personnel attempted to seize a computer from Tian Chua.

The matter was later brought to the attention of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) which has already initiated a probe into the claim.

Gone in minutes

Hishammuddin said he was told that nine inmates had been used to destroy his garden when he was in Kuala Lumpur attending a court hearing.

"In 30 minutes, all were destroyed," said the malaysiakini columnist who was detained under the security law in April 2001.

Recalling how he had started work o­n his garden, Hishamuddin said: "When o­nly rain falls, I could plough the land using the broomstick. Later I used a ping pong racket as a cangkul (hoe)."

"For manure, I collected the leftover food and wrapped it together with grass in plastic bag, then mixed it with a little water. In o­ne or two months, my manure was ready ," he said.

"I cannot see their rationale of destroying them (his plants). I realise many officers at this camp are intellectually-challenged... that's why they work at a prison camp - too lazy to work and too scared to steal - that is their motto in life," he added.

After the incident, Hishamuddin said the detainees requested to see the camp commandant Abdul Basir Mohamad at their block.

He added that this was to mainly discuss the health condition of another Dr Badrulamin Baharon and also the destruction of the garden.

When Abdul Bahsir refused to meet them, the detainees decided not to enter their block. The block is locked at 7pm and is opened at 7am.

Celebrating darkness

"When I am writing this, I am outside the block - in the pingpong room. It is about 11 pm. Our block door is wide open. We are free to enter and go out of the room. The 2B block has now become a liberated zone.

"For the first time after two years, we can then see the moon. We can also see darkness. And this morning before the prayer call, I could see the dawn...

"For a free man, all these are not unusual but for us, to see the moon is a celebration," he said.

Hishamuddin, Tian Chua, Badrulamin and three other reformasi activists were detained under the ISA since June 2001 for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government through militant means.

One of the detainees, Keadilan Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor is undergoing a separate two-year sentence at the Kajang Prison for breaching the Official Secrets Act.

Their two-year detention order will expire next month but the government has the right to extend it.