feature The only weapon Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees possess to fight off the political persecution within the detention camp is through a hunger strike.

That is to say they are prepared to sacrifice their lives in order to stop violence perpetrated against them by the detention camp authorities often with police collaboration.

At any rate, staging a hunger strike is usually the last resort after all channels to air their grievances are shut.

There were quite a number of hunger strikes which took place in the 1960s, 70s and 80s at detention camps throughout the country Some lasted only a few days while others went on for more than 20 and even 40 days.

Some of them included the following:

- May 26 to June 7, 1967, in Batu Gajah
- March 25 to April 19, 1968, in Batu Gajah and Muar
- Aug13 to Sept 11, 1968, in Batu Gajah and Muar
- Nov 27 to Dec 4, 1969, in Batu Gajah
- Dec 29 to Feb 13, 1974, in Batu Gajah and Kamunting
- Oct 27 to 3 Nov 3, 1988, in Kamunting

Detainee's suicide

Of all the above hunger strikes, the one which took place from Dec 29 to Feb 13, 1974, lasting for 47 days, was the most spectacular, dramatic and tragic.

Dubbed the 'December 29 Hunger Strike', it involved hundreds of men and women incarcerated in both the Batu Gajah and Kamunting detention camps.

Normally, the hunger strikes were over awful conditions and maltreatments in the camp. The 'December 29 Hunger Strike' was also over brutality and cruelty meted out to the detainees by the camp authorities and the police.

The strike was linked to the death of Wong Ming Kiew @ Sui Sung, a political detainee in the Kamunting detention camp in Taiping.

Wong was known to be stricken with illness for a long time. He was denied proper medical treatment. As a result, he suffered from a ringing sound in his ears which led to insomnia.

When the suffering became unbearable, Wong chose to end his own life. This was explained in his last letter to his comrades.

After learning of Wong's suicide, fellow political detainees in the Batu Gajah detention camp demanded to see the camp's Superintendent for an explanation and also to convey their condolences to Wong's family.

The hunger strike could have been averted if the Superintendent had been willing to discuss the matter amicably with the detainees' six representatives.

However, their demand was not granted. The detainees then decided to assemble at a field in front of the gate to the Superintendent's office. They waited till after nightfall and there was still no reply from the camp authority.

'Violent' suppression

Instead, the FRU (Federal Reserve Unit) was called in to 'violently' suppress the peaceful protest.

Without giving any warning, the FRU personnel assaulted and charged the detainees with batons and tear gas. The detainees were bashed-up badly and even when they retreated back to their respective blocks, they were not spared the 'punishment'.

Almost all the 60-odd detainees were wounded and a few lucky ones managed to dodge being beaten-up. Seven were severely battered. Some had head wounds with blood flowing out.

Lee Ban Chen, a trade unionist then and a malaysiakini columnist presently, was also gravely injured. The injured were sent to hospital for treatment.

The aggression halted only after someone shouted that a person was dying. The FRU's behaviour was barbaric and inhuman to say the least. Evidently it was a bloody suppression.

The detainees did not expect the police to be so cruel in their attack. The violent and bloody suppression was completely unjustifiable.

In the first place, there was no way the detainees could run away from the camp and they had no intention to escape anyway. Secondly, the detainees were unarmed and the protest was peaceful.

In any case, following normal procedure, the police ought to have given a warning beforehand. The camp authority and the police were heavy-handed in handling this peaceful protest.

Solitary confinement

In response to the police cruelty, the detainees staged a hunger strike in protest.

In retaliation, the camp authority kept the detainees in solitary confinement. Moreover, the detainees were punished for 'violating' the regulations of the camp.

They were deprived of all their rights including receiving family visits and reading materials for three months. The detainees' belongings were ransacked and blood-tainted clothes in particular, were confiscated in an effort to strike out any traces of bloody suppression.

To repress the hunger strike further, camp wardens and FRU personnel were sent to individual cells to beat up and harass the hunger strikers.

The strikers were allowed five at a time to carry out their daily routine outside their cells such as easing themselves, taking their bath and washing clothes. If they were slow, they risked being beaten up.

Although the camp authority knew the detainees were on a hunger strike, food was served as usual by the wardens. The detainees were beaten and harassed for not taking their food.

Trying to spread suspicion and distrust among the strikers, the wardens would say aloud that someone was abandoning the hunger strike - irrespective of whether this was true.

To rub salt into the wound, loud noise was created so that the detainees could not have any sleep during the day or night. Lights was also deliberately switched on every few hours during the night to disrupt the strikers' sleep. The excuse for this was to check if anyone was dying.

Walking punishment

After more than ten days had elapsed, some strikers were detected to be suffering from low blood pressure and heart disease. They were hospitalised on medical advice. The next day, the police wanted to handcuff them to their hospital beds but the detainees refused.

As political detainees, they were unjustly imprisoned without trial. They objected to being treated like common criminals. They would rather die than have their dignity insulted. For their 'disobedience', they were made to walk from the hospital back to the camp despite being ill.

When all these physical and mental tortures failed, the authorities tried to cajole the hunger strikers one by one into giving up their strike.

Yet, the authorities could still not thwart the hunger strike. The majority of the strikers, through thick and thin, did not waver in their protest against this inhumanity.

ANG HIOK GAI is the deputy secretary-general of Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM). The above article was written based on published memoirs of former ISA detainees and unpublished manuscripts by other ex-detainees passed on to the author. On May 26 at 8.30pm, PRM will be organising an anti-ISA forum at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur.