Was foreign affairs ministry parliamentary secretary Ahmad Shabery Cheek being well, cheeky, in claiming that "no one has demanded that the Internal Security Act (ISA) be abolished"?

He delivered this astonishing response, when replying to Teresa Kok (DAP-Seputeh), who wanted to know if Malaysia would abolish the ISA in tandem with the government's condemnation of human rights violations at Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Ahmad said the ISA should not be equated with the US military base in Cuba, where terror suspects have been held for years without trial.

He also said there has been rampant violation of human rights violations in Guantanamo Bay, but not in Malaysia.

Another difference, he pointed out, was that, while there have been demands from human rights organisations to close down the base, "no one has asked for the ISA to be abolished".

(This is in spite of well-publicised pressure by rights groups, detainees' families, opposition parties and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia to seek repeal of the security law which provides for indefinite detention without trial.)

"Issues related to violation of human rights at Guantanamo Bay, which have been condemned by the world, are something unheard of in the context of the ISA here," he said during the Question session..

"Newsweek reported that the Quran was stamped on, ridiculed and flushed down the toilets (in the detention camp).Such things are unheard of here."

He also confirmed that two Malaysians are among those detained. The US government told Wisma Putra on Sept 7 last year that the duo are Mohd Farik Amin and Mohammed Nazir Lep.

They were among 14 others who were moved from secret locations by the Central Intelligence Agency to the base, and are suspected to be members of terror groups Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.

"The government through its embassy in Washington DC has requested the US government that they should receive a fair trial when tried (by a special court)," he said, adding that the proceedings would be monitored by Malaysia.