Editor's Note - Issue 2003: 4
So we decided to celebrate our 25th Anniversary with a fund-raising bash, which was held on 24 May 2003 in Penang. The response from the public was overwhelming as people from all walks of life including those from out of town chipped in. We dare say that they enjoyed the event and by the evening�s end our financial position looked relatively healthier. Rakyat Malaysia Boleh! In this issue, we carry speeches by Aliran president P Ramakrishnan, and founder member Subramaniam Pillay. We also publish messages from founder president Chandra Muzaffar, who was unable to join us and Kamunting detainees, Tian Chua and Hishamuddin Rais, both of whom have since been released. They somehow managed to send messages that were read out to loud applause. Anil Netto describes an evening to remember. Enjoy Singing Allowed - a medley of spoofs of old pop hits that were performed by the Aliran Singers in their World Premiere. The back page article describes in detail the assault on Tian Chua and Hishamuddin and raises the question whether the Kamunting authorities were creating incidences to prolong their detention. In the light of the assault on Tian Chua and Hisham, Stephanie Bastian points out that the rising incidence of custodial violence is proving to be embarrassment for the state. The detainees� lawyer Cheah Kah Peng also recounts how he was assaulted at the Kamunting Detention Centre in a complaint to Suhakam. | |||||||||||||||
Aliran is 25! In terms of historical time, this is but a twinkle of the eyes. Amidst Malaysian NGOs, however, we probably have senior citizen status - and are as poor as pensioners.