A 22-year-old student leader from Universiti Malaya (UM) was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) yesterday, making it the second arrest of a student under the Act over the past three days.

Mohamad Fuad Mohd Ikhwan, who is the university's student representative council president was arrested in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, at about 4 p.m.

Federal police spokesman, Benjamin Hasbie confirmed today that Mohamad, a third-year business management student, was detained under the ISA - a law which is used to detain those perceived to be a threat to national security.

The student's brother, Mohamad Hafiz, when contacted, said the police had telephoned him yesterday evening to inform about the arrest.

"However they did not give any reasons for his arrest. They just told me that my brother's motorcycle was at the Travers police station and asked me to collect the key at the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters," he said.

Mohamad Hafiz also said the house which his brother rents with 13 other students in Kelana Jaya, was raided by the police twice this week.

On Thursday, police had arrested 24-year-old Institut Kemahiran Mara (IKM) student, Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin under the ISA.

Following the arrest, police raided his residence in Bangsar and seized printed materials, video compact discs (VCD) and a computer.

Khairul, a known reformasi supporter, is a coordinator of a student movement pressing for the abolishment of the ISA - which allows indefinite detention without trial.

The detention of the two students under the Act will allow the police to hold them for an initial 60-day investigative period after which they would either be released or sentenced to a two-year detention.

Radical measures

Meanwhile, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang said today that the arrests was a sign that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was breaking from "international norms" on democracy and human rights to consolidate his powers.

Mahathir, during the presentation of the Third Outline Perspective Plan (OPP3) in parliament in April, had said that the government was willing to depart from the established international norms and will not hesitate to use the full force of the law when the country's interests are threatened.

Lim also urged Education minister Musa Mohamad to stop the use of the ISA against students if the minister wants to see the return of a vibrant intellectual culture in local universities.

"The Universities and Universities Colleges Act (UUCA), which is the primary cause for the death of the intellectual culture among academicians and students must also be repealed," said Lim.

Keadilan deputy youth leader Low Chee Chong expressed his fear that the two students will be 'forced' to admit their involvement in the pre-dawn fire which gutted the historic Dewan Tunku Canselor (DTC) in UM last Friday.

While Chinese lobby group, Suqiu said the two students should be brought to a court of law if they had committed any crime.

"The probe on the cause of the fire that destroyed the DTC should not be used as an excuse to deliberately arrest dissidents," said its committee secretary, Ser Choon Ing in a press statement.

He said the government should take dissenting views of students seriously and review its policies and practices, adding that the suppression of student expression will result in students resorting to radical measures.