Police chief Norian Mai was accused by veteran politician Marina Yusoff for appearing to act on behalf of the government in the detention of 10 reformasi activists under the Internal Security Act (ISA) last month.

In a letter she wrote to the police chief, Marina said that she got that impression based on statements issued by Norian on the detentions.

The former Keadilan vice president, who was also a former Umno supreme council member, warned Norian that his actions in detaining the 10 would ensure that by the next general elections, due in 2004, the present government, especially Umno, will no longer be voted back into power.

"The silent majority who sympathise with these detainees will not support your actions and this will be translated into votes against the government which can go into several hundred thousands, if not millions," wrote Marina in the letter dated May 27.

"The silent majority does not approve of what you do, but they refrain from saying or doing anything as, judging by present practice, they will be 'fixed' just like so many others who have been 'fixed' and victimised".

She urged Norian to act fairly and justly to administer and uphold the law without fear or favour and to release the detainees.

Marina added that the detention of the 10, comprising Keadilan leaders, writers and activists, was a blatant abuse of power.

The 10 have been detained for allegedly being a threat to national security. Norian said the detainees were a secret cell within the reformasi movement that was involved in a plan to acquire grenade launchers and bombs to topple the government through 'militant means'.

Marina said the 10 were "intellectual and responsible people who have only the interests of the people at heart and should be applauded for what they stand for".

"They are respectable and peace-loving and definitely not the "violent aggressors out to create war" as you and the media have tried to portray them," she wrote.

"A few of them may be strong supporters of (jailed deputy prime minister) Anwar Ibrahim but that is not a legitimate reason to detain any of them under the ISA. Isn't our country supposed to be a democratic country with rights guaranteed under the Constitution?"

Permanent damage

Marina also said the police was setting a wrong precedent by using the ISA to detain supporters of fallen leaders, adding that it was a dangerous trend to follow.

"As such even people in Umno better be careful whom they support. If they happen to support the wrong man then they can expect to be arrested under the ISA. In such a case they had better prepare to abandon ship as soon as there are signs that the leader they support is about to fall," wrote Marina.

She also said that it was alarming to know that the home minister was not informed of the arrests, prompting one to think that the arrests and subsequent detentions were initiated by the police and later had to be formalised by the minister.

She also said despite assurance given by the police that the detainees will not be "physically" harmed, she had no doubts that they will be "harmed" as the solitary confinement, mental torture and psychological damage done to their minds will be worse than physical abuse.

Marina also said that as a magistrate in 1965, she had witnessed many wrongdoings, atrocities and crimes committed by the police on detainees and suspects.

She added that many innocent people have been tortured, beaten up and brutalised by the police and that there had been no change despite public outcry and outrage.

"In fact, the situation has become worse. The brutal and murderous beatings, some until death, of suspects and detainees are a practice, which not only breaches every aspect of the law and human rights."