Two security guards detained by police last November have appealed for their release through their lawyer, claiming that they have been transferred from one police station to another since then.

The two, aged 19 and 20 respectively, were arrested after a brief car chase during which four shots were allegedly fired by police officers. (Their names have been withheld as they are under 21 years of age.)

Their lawyer, P Uthayakumar (photo), said they were leaving their place of work in Taman Bunga Raya, Klang, in the early hours of Nov 19 when a police patrol car approached.

"They panicked and drove quickly away," Uthayakumar said in a letter of appeal addressed to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

After an initial warning shot, police fired three more shots at their vehicle. One bullet struck the side door, while another broke the rear window.

The two have claimed that a rival security firm collaborated with the police in their detention and subsequent arrest for 65 days under the Section 3(1) of the Emergency Ordinance (EO).

Klang OCPD ACP Mohd Rodwan Mohd Yusof could not be reached for comment today.

Uthayakumar said the two were held at the Klang police station from Nov 19-22, and then transferred to the Port Klang station (Nov 23-29) and Shah Alam station (Nov 30-Dec 5), before being returned to the Port Klang station on Dec 6 - they are still there.

According to the letter, they were tortured: "Cili padi (bird's eye chilli) was rubbed on the genitalia and eyes (of one youth). They were then forced to confess to several criminal charges."

Uthayakumar said that, as youths, the two "should be given opportunity to become useful citizens".

"In addition, they are held under the Emergency Ordinance ... our nation has gone far beyond the days of the Emergency...the EO is obsolete."