The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has been asked today to look into possible violations of human rights conditions at the Simpang Renggam detention centre in Johor where some 100 detainees are on a hunger strike.

A brother of two of the detainees handed a complaint to the commission this morning, claiming that the inmates are protesting against the continued detention of some detainees whose terms had expired.

The complainant, M Siva said he visited his two brothers and two cousins at the centre on April 8 and found them to be "extremely weak with cracked lips" and could "hardly walk" without aid.

"On questioning them I discovered they had been on a hunger strike for about seven days and they have pledged to continue with it until justice is meted out," said Siva.

Siva added that the four were detained on Feb 7, 1999, for a two-year period and they should have been released on Feb 6, this year.

Deteriorating health

The four were sent to Simpang Renggam under the Emergency Ordinance after they were discharged of manslaughter in 1998 for lack of evidence by a court, he said. They were then rearrested and sent to the detention centre for a two-year term.

The Emergency Ordinance, like the Internal Security Act, allows detention without trial and is often used as a preventive measure against suspected criminals.

Siva also complained that the prison authorities have refused to send them for medical treatment, despite the rapid deterioration of their health.

He added that many other detainees in the centre are facing the same predicament. They are being held against their will although their terms of detention have expired, he said.

"I was verbally informed by the centre's authorities that the detention period for my brothers has been extended for another two years," he added.

"It is strongly felt that any detention of any human being beyond that rightly ordered by the court of law is unjustified, inhumane, cruel, humiliating and degrading," said Siva.

No guarantee

Suhakam commissioner Anuar Zainal Abidin accepted the complaint from Siva who was accompanied by family members of several of the other protesting detainees.

Anuar said the commission will look into the matter though it could not guarantee any results.

"We will investigate and we will not come to any conclusion before that," he said.

On April 8, Siva had also lodged a report with the Kluang police station on the same matter. In his report, he claimed that he saw more than 200 inmates taking part in the hunger strike when he visited the place.

Siva said he decided to lodge the police report because the centre's authorities were not concerned about the well-being of those on strike.

"I am not satisfied and I fear that something might happen to them," stated Siva in the report.

Legal action

Meanwhile, Siva's lawyer A Sivanesan told a press conference later that the family will consider filing a court application seeking the release of the four.

He said the inmates are carrying out the hunger strike to protest the extended custody of 53 detainees.

Parti Rakyat Insan Malaysia (PRIM) pro-tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar who was also present said Suhakam should investigate the abuse of the Emergency Ordinance as a means of suppressing the freedom of individuals to move about.

Uthayakumar also urged the human rights body to investigate the authorities' lackadaisical attitude towards the hunger strike.