While the ongoing haze may have made some blurry-eyed, it failed to cloud the vision of some 200 people who marched through the streets of the capital this afternoon in protest of the country's infamous Internal Security Act.

The group, complete with banners, armbands and posters, trekked from the National Mosque to the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) office in Jalan Raja Laut where they handed over a memorandum.

The march and memo handing over was held to protest the continued detention of nine men who will mark their fourth year of ISA detention next month, said organisers Abolish the ISA Movement (GMI) and the PAS Youth and Women's wings.

The nine, Mohd Lothfi Ariffin, Zid Saharani Mohd Esa, Mohd Zulkifli Mohd Zakaria, Ahmad Pozi Darman, Nik Adli Nik Abdul Aziz (son of Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat), Zainol Ismail, Solehan Abdul Ghafar, Mohd Rafi Udin and Alias Ngah, were detained in 2001 on suspicion of terrorism.

Sex entrapment

Today's march proceeded smoothly though under the constant surveillance of the police. The activists, including some of the wives of the detained men, distributed fliers and postcards to those present. The postcards, protesting the ISA, were addressed to the prime minister.

Upon reaching Suhakam, the 65-point memorandum outlining the grievances faced by the families of the nine suspected terrorists was handed over to Commissioners Prof Hamdan Mohd Adnan and N Siva Subramaniam.

It cited 'disturbances and mental torture' by the police Special Branch of the police as well as by detention camp officials and the Internal Security Ministry.

Among the allegations, the wives said they have received calls from strangers offering sex whom they suspect are from none other than the police themselves. Detention camp wardens, they alleged further, did not allow the detainees to cradle their children during visits resulting in the children crying.

The memo urged for the immediate release of all the nine men and that compensation be paid for the four years they were held without trial. After contents of the document were read out, four of the wives related their problems to the two commissioners. One of them broke down in tears, while the others were choked with emotion.

'Even animals behave better'

Hamdan said that four years was a long duration to be detained without trial and that, ' ... in Malaysia, one can complete a degree in four years'. He noted that some of the allegations outlined in the memo were disgusting if true and that even 'animals behaved better'.

"We must behave like civilised people. Furthermore, Islam Hadhari is being propagated by the government" he added.

He said Suhakam would be sending another letter to the Internal Security Ministry with regards to the continued detention of the nine besides meeting with prison officials to ensure the United Nations Human Rights Convention was not flouted by the latter.

Hamdan also read out a reply from the ministry to a previous letter sent by Suhakam on the same matter. The letter stated the continued detention of the nine was because they were undergoing 'rehabilitation programmes'.

Some photos courtesy of GMI