After more than three years in detention, two al-Ma'unah members will file their habeas corpus applications based on the positive recommendations by the Internal Security Act (ISA) review board.

Che Wan Mustaffa Che Wan Kaman, 35 and Mokhtar Senik, 39, have requested their lawyer Edmund Bon to proceed with the applications on grounds that they had been recommended for release at several meetings with the review board since 2001.

Contacted today, Bon said the applications would be filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court within three weeks.

He said Che Wan Mustaffa was informed on two previous occasions that he would be recommended for release while Mokhtar received similar communication on three occasions.

"The latest review of Che Wan Mustaffa was scheduled last Tuesday while Mokhtar was supposed to have met with the review board again yesterday.

"I have not met with my clients since these meetings but it is unlikely that the board would change their assessments since it recommended for release several times before," he added.

Legal organisation

The duo were arrested on Aug 30, 2000 on allegations of involvement with Al-Maunah. Their detention orders were renewed in 2002.

Last month, the wives of three al-Ma'unah detainees filed their appeals with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) claiming that their husbands were innocent.

Mokhtar's wife, Siti Hajar Mohd Zain, told the commission her husband had joined al-Ma'unah as the group was registered with the Registrar of Societies and approved by the Selangor state religious department.

The ISA review board is required to meet with the detainees once every six months. The board is charged with the task of advising the Home Ministry on whether a particular detainee is to be released or not.

Meanwhile, Bon said he is still working on the cases of two other al-Ma'unah detainees - Fauzi Mohamad and Zul Azhar Abdullah - who have also requested for habeas corpus applications to be filed.

"They too have met with the review board but we have to find out the exact dates of their meeting with the board," he added.

Arms heist

The al-Ma'unah group earned notoriety when several of its members carried out an arms heist from a military camp in Perak.

The group then took several hostages and holed up for four days in Bukit Jenalik, Sauk before surrendering to security forces.

During the incident, the group killed two of their hostages - a soldier and a police personnel.

Twenty nine al-Ma'unah members were later charged for waging war against the king and were subsequently found guilty and received varied sentences.

Its leaders received death sentences while lower-ranking members received jail terms of at least 10 years.

To date, 15 individuals alleged to be al-Ma'unah members remain in detention under the ISA at the Kamunting detention camp in Perak.