A Burmese journalist who was abducted on Tuesday and subsequently released after a 12-hour ordeal told malaysiakini that he would be able to identify his abductors.

Ko Minn Kyaw Minn, 26, who is married to a Malaysian, said the black hood, which was used by his assailants to cover his head, was removed when he was being interrogated by them.

Minn Kyaw, who is also known as Azman Ali Adam and a father of a two-month-old baby, was abducted while on his way to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to cover the arrival of Burmese Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt.

Minn Kyaw said the abductors, who forced his car off the road, had identified themselves as the feared police Special Branch before handcuffing him and putting a black hood over his head.

A day after his ordeal, Minn Kyaw sought help from the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) and urged commissioner Hamdan Adnan and complaints and inquiry division chief Jamaludin Othman to take his case seriously.

"I ask Suhakam to help me to get protection from the authorities," he told a press conference at Suhakam headquarters in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

Minn Kyaw said he wanted Suhakam to also pressure the police to carry out investigations into his abduction speedily and arrest those involved.

He had lodged a report on his abduction at the Dang Wangi police station at 5pm today.

Minn Kyaw is also seeking the rights organisation's assistance in securing a quick resettlement for him and his family in a third country.

Female interrogator

According to the journalist, while he was being held in a windowless shipping container in an unknown location, a woman whom he believes to be Burmese interrogated him.

"She wore a red dress and blue track bottoms and had a yellow star chain around her neck," he said in his police report.

He said the woman spoke English to the other four interrogators - two of whom are possibly Malaysians - but she used Burmese when addressing him directly. He suspects a number of abductors could be Burmese intelligence officers.

Minn Kyaw claimed that she accused him of writing "negative things about our country - Burma".

A former student activist in Burma, Minn Kyaw is the editor of a fortnightly magazine, Burma Media Link , which is circulated in Malaysia. The magazine supports the cause of detained Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

When he tried to explain to his abductors that he gave a balanced view in his reports, Minn Kyaw was assaulted by one of the men.

"The man slapped me three times when they were not happy with my answer," he stated.

"They accused me of being a spy... I tried to explain, and again was assaulted. I decided not to answer (anymore questions).

"They then warned me not to relate this incident to anybody or else I will not have a future here with my family," he added.

Minn Kyaw said one of the abductors warned him that "this is not your country, we can do anything to you," before putting on the black hood over his head.

He was later driven to Kajang where his abductors gave him RM10 to take a taxi home.

Suhakam: Serious case

Commissioner Hamdan vowed that Suhakam would conduct an investigation into Minn Kyaw's allegations.

"If we find that the Special Branch were involved, we will bring this matter up in Parliament," he said.

"This is a serious case and it cannot be allowed to happen again or for it to become a trend (in this country)," said Hamdan.

Representatives from human rights organisation Suaram who had accompanied Minn Kyaw to Suhakam, have called for a proper and independent investigation to be carried out and for the findings to be made public.

Human rights observers said Minn Kyaw's abduction was similar to the arrests made under the draconian Internal Security Act and that it had come at a 'convenient' time when the Burmese PM was making his one-day visit to Malaysia.

Bukit Aman public relations officer Supt Jamshah Mustafa had earlier denied any police involvement in Minn Kyaw's abduction.