updated version The families of four reformasi key leaders who were sent to the Kamunting detention camp for two years under the Internal Security Act (ISA) last Saturday visited them separately this morning, said the brother of one of the detainees.

Five family members visited Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua for about an hour today, his younger brother Chua Tian Chien told malaysiakini, adding that the families of the other three detainees were also present there.

"We visited the detainees separately in four rooms. They (detainees) managed to have a glimpse of each other and waved just before they entered the rooms," said Tian Chien.

However, he added that some families were not directly informed by the police about the visits but got the news from several Keadilan leaders.

When asked if Chua had mentioned anything about the party, Tian Chien said, "He stressed that he would like to see the merger of Keadilan and PRM come true soon."

Chua was among the 10 opposition leaders and reformasi activists arrested in an ISA dragnet launched on April 10. Together with three ISA detainees, he was subsequently sent to the detention camp in Perak from the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters on June 2.

The order to further detain the four came from Home Affairs Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The other three are Keadilan leaders Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor, Saari Sungib and social activist-cum- malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais.

National security

According to a Bernama report today, Abdullah said the four had acted in a manner prejudicial to national security and stability. He was quoted as saying, "After reading the report of the police investigation, I am satisfied that there is basis to invoke the ISA against them."

Tian Chien said their father appeared calm when he visited Chua. "My father knew that there is a price to pay if the country has to change."

Tian Chien said Chua told his family not to worry and that the environment in the detention camp was less torturing than that of the police headquarters as he did not have to undergo prolonged interrogations any more.

Chua revealed he was kept in the same room with Hishamuddin while in police custody since they were arrested on April 10.

"He only got to know that he was going to be transferred to Kamunting on Saturday evening, shortly before he was taken away with Hishamuddin in a police car," Tian Chien said.

"He said Mohamad Ezam and Saari boarded another car later. They reached the detention camp around midnight," he added.

He also said the appeal of the habeas corpus applications for the four ISA detainees - initially five before Free Anwar Campaign webmaster Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin was released unconditionally by police last Saturday - will go on as scheduled on June 6 at the Federal Court.

"In fact, the lawyer is coming to meet them here next week as each detainee is only allowed one visit every week and the families are here this week," he said.

The families of Mohamad Ezam, Saari and Hishamuddin could not be reached for information on their visits today.

Including Raja Petra, three ISA detainees have been released so far. The others, Keadilan leaders Abdul Ghani Haroon and N Gobalakrishnan, were released by the Shah Alam High Court which ruled their detention as unlawful and done in bad faith.