The Home Ministry may adopt the recommendations made by the Human Rights Commission in its Kesas highway report, but only those that are approved by the former's officials.

"The police will look at it and my ministry will look at it and whatever recommendations our officials make will be the ones that the government will consider implementing," said Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today.

He told reporters this after delivering a speech on globalisation in Kuala Lumpur.

Abdullah, however, did not say when his ministry officials would complete the study on the report.

The rights commission Suhakam released a damning 66-page report early last month which found that the police had violated human rights at the aborted 100,000 People's Gathering on the Kesas highway last November.

The report urged the police not to resort to violence when handling peaceful demonstrators and to be more lenient regarding the issuance of police permits for public gatherings, amongst other recommendations.

However, Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai dismissed the report last Wednesday, stating that it was "biased and unrealistic".

The report, resulting from a four-month long inquiry, also drew flak from the government as well as Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who opined that the report was "western influenced".

Fire

On the June fire that gutted Universiti Malaya's Dewan Tunku Canselor, Abdullah said he had yet to read the report.

The pre-dawn fire was immediately condemned by some Barisan Nasional leaders, including Mahathir, as the possible work of 'militant students' who allegedly wanted to prevent the premier from attending a function at the university the next day.

However, on July 11, English daily the Malay Mail reported that the Fire and Rescue Department had issued a report concluding that a short-circuit caused the mishap.

Local Government and Housing Deputy Minister M Kayveas, despite admitting to not having read the report, refuted the conclusion and insisted that it was a case of arson.

Kayveas also said that the report had been sent to his superior Ong Ka Ting who forwarded the copy to Mahathir during a cabinet meeting.