More detentions to mark the 40th anniversary of ISA

Aliran regrets that the authorities have chosen to mark the 40th anniversary of the Internal Security Act by deciding to place the 27 members of the Al-Ma'unah movement who allegedly took part in the recent Sauk arms heist under ISA detention.

Such a move means that the detained individuals will be deprived of their democratic right to be tried in a court of law. If they had been charged in court, the government would have had a golden opportunity to tell the whole world that it had nothing to hide over the Al-Ma'unah incident. After all, we've been told that the government has all the evidence it needs to prove their guilt.

Equally important, an open trial would have been seen as just and it would have provided an opportunity for concerned Malaysians to try to understand the factors that have led to the formation of such cults.

We call upon the government to release all Al-Ma'unah members from ISA detention. By detaining them under the Act, the government is only fuelling suspicion that it is only interested in justifying the existence of this colonial relic of a law. What a way to mark the 40th anniversary of this obnoxious law!