Freedom is proving a little elusive for political activists Tian Chua and Hishamuddin Rais, who were let out of the Kamunting detention camp on Sunday, after being detained for two years under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

More than 48 hours later, the duo remain under remand to complete legal proceedings linked to several outstanding criminal charges.

The two were moved today from the Taiping prison in Perak to Selangor's Kajang prison, in order to attend bail application hearings before the Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court tomorrow.

Bail posted

This morning, Tian - who is Keadilan vice-president - was produced before the Kulim magistrate's court where he posted bail over charges of rioting and false imprisonment.

Kulim magistrate Noor Hisham Ismail heard the bail application by Tian's lawyers Cheah Kah Peng and Gooi Hock Seng and fixed bail at RM5,000. According to Gooi, the public prosecutor did not object to the application.

Keadilan Kulim/Bandar Baharu branch chairperson Puah Ewe Chai posted bail on Tian's behalf. Immediately afterwards, Tian was driven to Kajang prison.

Yesterday, Tian's application for bail had to be adjourned due to a procedural oversight - he was not in court. An 'order to produce' was then issued to the Taiping prison authorities to ensure his presence in court today.

Tian, along with five other Keadilan leaders, have been accused of committing the offences during the 1999 Lunas by-election in Kedah. He has also been charged with illegally detaining people who were alleged to be phantom voters. The hearing is scheduled to continue later this year.

Isham to Kajang

Reformasi activist-cum-malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais was separately transferred to Kajang prison earlier today. He too will have to post bail at the Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court tomorrow before he is freed.

Tian and Hishamuddin have been charged with participating in an illegal assembly in September 1999 in front of the National Mosque, held in the wake of allegations that jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was given arsenic during his detention.

They have also been charged with illegal assembly over their protest against restrictions placed on the distribution of PAS organ Harakah. Hearing of both cases will resume later this year.

Ezam's situation

Meanwhile, the position of Keadilan Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor remains one of technicalities following his official release from ISA detention on Sunday.

Mohd Ezam was transferred from Kamunting to the Kajang prison last August to serve a two-year jail sentence for breaching the Official Secrets Act. He is due for release in December, with one-third remission of the sentence for good behaviour.

He, too, has been charged for rioting and illegally detaining people during the 1999 Lunas by-election.

This morning, his lawyers submitted a bail application at the Kulim magistrate's court on his behalf, and obtained an 'order to produce' him in court on Thursday to attend the hearing.

Tian, Ezam and Hishamuddin had not applied for bail when they were initially charged for these offences as they were already under ISA detention then.

In all, six reformasi leaders were detained under the ISA in June 2001 for allegedly planning to topple the government through militant means. They denied the allegation.

Four were released on Sunday at the end of their two-year detention, while two more are due for release on or before June 12 unless their detention order is renewed.

Of those freed, only former Jemaah Islah Malaysia president and Keadilan supreme council member Saari Sungib was able to walk away a free man on Sunday night.