I refer to Wong Lok Soong's comments, particularly his question whether the US Secretary of State Colin Powell has "the right to moralise the Malaysian government on civil liberties when the US government prioritise them no higher in passing the draconian USA Patriot Act".

I reprint below an excerpt from the Patriot Act Section 203 for Mr Wong's better understanding:

"Sec. 203. Mandatory detention of suspected terrorists; habeas corpus; judicial review.

(a)In general  habeas corpus; judicial review

Sec. 236a. (a) detention of terrorist aliens  or

(B) is engaged in any other activity that endangers the national security of the United States.

(4) Nondelegation  habeas corpus; judicial review.

(c) Reports 

(2) the grounds for such certifications;

(3) the nationalities of the aliens so certified;

(4) the length of the detention for each alien so certified; and

(5) the number of aliens so certified who 

(B) were removed;

(C) the Attorney-General has determined are no longer an alien who may be so certified; or

(D) were released from detention.

I would ask Mr Wong to note that Sec 236A (5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act is now amended to read :

"The Attorney-General shall place an alien detained under paragraph (1) in removal proceedings, or shall charge the alien with a criminal offense, not later than 7 days after the commencement of such detention. If the requirement of the preceding sentence is not satisfied, the Attorney-General shall release the alien."

First, this applies to aliens, not US citizens.

Second, our own ISA applies to Malaysian citizens. Then, the ISA does not at all require the detained Malaysian citizen to be charged with a criminal offence not later than seven days after the commencement of such detention.

Finally, the infamous ISA further allows the citizen's detention to continue to be extended for successive two-year periods, as authorised by the Home Affairs Minister!

If the difference between the Patriot Act and the ISA, as pointed out above, are not already blindingly obvious, then it would seem that either Mr Wong has never bothered to look up the Patriot Act on the Internet (search Google ) nor has he got a copy of the Malaysian Constitution (check your local bookshop).

Or he has some other motive for creating a perception of himself as an apologist for the local establishment.