The police detention of five key reformasi leaders and activists under the Internal Security Act (ISA) yesterday has met with strong condemnation from the opposition and various reform groups in the country who have called for their immediate release.

Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) chairman Dr Syed Husin Ali said today the arrests were a "political move to silence the opposition and dissent," adding that those arrested should be released or charged in court immediately and not be detained under the ISA which does not require a trial.

He said in a press statement the order for the arrests could have come from an authority higher than Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as he (Abdullah) had no knowledge of arrests beforehand.

"Abdullah said in a news report yesterday he did not know about the arrests and he is the only one authorised to issue an order to make such arrests. If he did not approve such arrests, who did? Was it the prime minister?" said Syed.

The PRM chairman was referring to the arrests by police yesterday of Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua, Youth head Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor, Youth assistant-secretary N Gobalakrishnan, film maker and malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais, and reformasi activists Saari Sungib and Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

Menacing speech

DAP national chairman Lim Kit Siang, in his statement said the latest crackdown proved that Abdullah is being sidelined in the government.

"The use of the ISA to detain reformists marks the sidelining of Abdullah, as he had staked his reputation so far on not using the notorious ISA to silence the opposition," he said.

Lim said Mahathir's statement last Tuesday during the presentation of the Third Outline Perspective Plan (OPP3) that the government was ready to 'break from so-called international norms' had become a reality following the arrests.

"Mahathir had made a most menacing speech, threatening to bring the full force of the Malaysian law against opposition parties he accused of inciting racial hatred and colluding with foreigners to topple his government. Now this has come to pass," he said.

Right cause

Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) president Dr Mohamed Hatta Shaharom said in a separate press statement the government's detention of Keadilan leaders and reformasi activists under the ISA showed that those arrested were fighting for the right cause.

"The arrests of these advocates of justice and basic rights only serves to prove the correctness of their struggle," he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Democratic Party (MDP) secretary-general Wee Choo Keong also condemned the police for the ISA arrests, although he added MDP does not support "violence or street demonstrations to topple the duly elected government".

"The home minister declared a few months ago that the government will not use the ISA to detain its critics or leaders of the opposition. If the police have evidence of reformasi activists having committed offences, then they should be charged in court," he said in a media statement.