PSM6 detained under ISA and NOT EO, claims party

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) believes its six members detained initially under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) for allegedly being a threat to public order have been placed under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

In a statement released late last night, PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan said this was the conclusion reached after information on the slightly different procedures and treatment accorded those detained reached the party.

The 'PSM 6' are Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar, (photo) PSM deputy chairperson M Saraswathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai, M Sukumaran, Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan, and Youth leader Sarat Babu.

The Emergency Ordinance is similar to the Internal Security Act, in that both allow the police to detain suspects for up to 60 days.

The police had earlier said the group was arrested under section 3(1) of the EO related to public order, after an earlier accusation that they and 24 other PSM activists were being investigated for 'waging war against the Agong' was dropped.

After meeting with two of the detainees yesterday, however, lawyerEdmund Bon, one of the defence counsels for the activists, expressed the fear that the six are being held under the ISA.

Numbers in place of names

"They were treated like ISA detainees. In fact Sarawathy was told she was detained under the ISA," Bon told reporters.

Arutchelvan, in his statement disclosed that all six had been told that from now they would be called merely by their numbers and not their names. When questioned, they were told that that was the ISA arrest procedure.

"Besides that, they are being kept in solitary confinement.

"Though the family members were notified upon the arrest that they will be kept in lock-ups at (federal police headquarters in) Bukit Aman, but now it appears that they are being kept at a secret location. Most probably they are being kept in the Police Remand Centre (PRC) in Batu 5, Jalan Ipoh, KL," said Arutchelvan.

"All these clearly show that the six had subjected to the ISA-style arrest and not the EO. Under the EO arrest, detainees are not blind-folded and are kept in district police lock-ups."

Actions expose hollow allegations

"Bukit Aman and PRC have solitary confinement facilities used to detain ISA detainees for the first 60 days," he added.

Describing the police crackdown on political activists based on grounds of 'security' and 'public order' as mere "manipulations", Arutchelvan said PSM calls upon the prime minister and the home minister to immediately release the EO six.

He also cited the case of Filipino activist Romeo Castillo and South Korean university student Song Min-Young (left) - who were detained after participating in a PSM roadshow and later accused of being "foreign agents". Both have been cleared of all charges and deported.

Castillo was said to have been deported on Tuesday morning, while Song was sent off last Friday.

"Now it is clear that the foreign element threat said by the deputy (inspector-general of police) IGP (Khalid Abu Bakar) and the build-up given by Umno mouthpieceUtusan Malaysia are just hollow allegations," said Arutchelvan. - Malaysiakini