Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz has offered to try and secure an early release for two Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees after meeting their wives today.

The 40-minute impromptu meeting, which also saw the presence of Abolish ISA Movement (ISA) members, was held at the Parliament lobby.

Wan Hamidah Wan Hamid and Norlaila Othman told the minister that their husbands have been held for more than two years at the Kamunting detention camp in Perak.

Mohd Shah Sharijan and Mat Shah Mohd Satray were detained in December 2001 and April 2002 respectively for their alleged affiliation with regional terror group, Jemaah Islamiah (JI).

Wan Hamidah and Norlaila urged the minister to arrange a meeting between the wives of all detainees with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who inks the detention orders in his capacity as internal security minister.

They said their repeated requests to meet with Abdullah and internal security ministry officials over their husbands' extended detention had fell on deaf ears.

'Have confidence in me'

Mohd Nazri, who also heads the parliamentary caucus on human rights, said he would relay the message to the premier.

"I will talk to the PM to see what we can do. If they are no longer a threat, than we will issue a release (order)," he told the wives, adding that they should have confidence in him.

"This is the first time I am meeting you all, I mean business, don't pressure me, I don't like people to question (my) integrity. If you don't have confidence in me, don't come and see me," he said.

He also asked for 'a chance' to work on the release of Wan Hamidah's and Norlaila's husbands before he tackles the rest..

On the same note, the minister stressed his support for the ISA which allows detention without trial but added that detainees should not be subjected to human rights violations.

To a question, he said Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar, whom he spoke to last week, is arranging for the parliamentary caucus to visit the Kamunting camp to probe the claim that 20 detainees were assaulted during a 'riot' last month.

However, he said that such visits would not reflect the real situation.

"The problem with this kind of visit is that when we visit, they (camp authorities) have been informed earlier, it is arranged in advance. This is something we must realise," he said.

Meanwhile, the detainees' wives also bumped into Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil at the Parliament lobby later.

The minister told them that she would look into cases where the wives of ISA detainees may require her ministry's assistance.

Memorandum submitted

Earlier, the AIM delegation headed by its chairperson Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh submitted a memorandum to opposition parliamentarians urging them to play a more active role in raising the ISA issue in the House.

Others demands were for the parliamentarians to call for the release of the 'Karachi 5' students and to probe the alleged torture in police remand centres during the initial 60-day ISA detention.

Lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad, who was also present, refute a recent statement from the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) that the detainees who were allegedly assaulted in last month's riot could not identify their assailants.

"The detainees want a more conducive and stress-free environment to identify the assailants," said Amer, who often represents ISA detainees.

He also pointed out that the assaults took place when the detainees were instructed to bend over and walked in a crouched position.

He claimed that some of his clients sustained serious injuries such as fractures to the arms and legs while some had stitches on their heads.

Suhakam commissioner Prof Mohd Hamdan Adnan said recently that two investigation reports on the alleged 'riot' have been sent to the Attorney-General's Chambers.

According to him, the camp authorities have refuted the allegations.