State-backed human rights watchdog today threw its support behind 16 detained alleged Islamic militants who have been on hunger strike for 11 days to press the government to charge or release them.

The men, including Nik Adli, son of the opposition Islamic party PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat, were held on suspicion of terrorist links in 2001 under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows indefinite detention without trial.

Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner Hamdan Adnan, who visited the detainees yesterday at the Kamunting detention centre in Perak, said the men rejected food but drank water as part of a protest against their prolonged detention.

"They are not in critical condition. Their lives are not in danger. The moment their health deteriorates, they are sent to hospital," he told AFP.

"Suhakam's stand is very clear. They should be charged because nobody should be detained without being put on trial. Detention without trial is a human right infringement but for them to go on such a strike, we cannot do anything because it's their choice."

ISA black mark

Hamdan said he had advised the men not to put their health in jeopardy, and that Suhakam would write to the authorities to push them to resolve the matter.

The detainees were accused of belonging to the Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia, which is allegedly linked to the Jemaah Islamiah regional terrorist network.

A lawyer for the detainees, Fazaruddin Sujairi Mohamad Radzi, told AFP after meeting the men today that they looked "weak" but vowed not to give up their quest. He confirmed that they were drinking water.

The Abolish ISA Movement, a local pressure group, yesterday submitted a memorandum to the home ministry headed by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to seek a resolution to the crisis before March 21 general elections.

It expressed concerns over the health of the detainees, noting that five of them, including Nik Adli, have been hospitalised so far. Four of them has since been discharged after being placed on drips.

"It is a desperate measure by the detainees because they have no other option to highlight their plight to the government and the public. They have been totally denied their rights to trial to defend themselves," said spokesman Yap Swee Seng.

"The government must show evidence if it claims they are genuine terrorists and charge them in court just as the Indonesian government has done. The ISA is a black mark on democracy."

Defence against terrorism

A total of more than 80 alleged Islamic militants are held under the ISA, which allows for two-year detention periods that can be renewed indefinitely.

Rights groups have urged the government to scrap the legislation but the government maintains that detention without trial is needed as a first line of defence against terrorism.

PAS is the key threat to Abdullah's Umno, the linchpin of the ruling coalition, and the fate of the ISA detainees has raised the stakes on upcoming polls. - AFP