The Malaysian Police have detained 5 leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) under the infamous Internal Security Act (ISA). They were arrested under Section 8(1) which allows for the person to be detained without trial for any period of time not exceeding two years.
Those detained are P. Uthayakumar, M. Manoharan, R. Kengadharan, V. Ganabatirau and K. Vasantha Kumar.
They were detained on Thursday, 13th of December 2007.
HINDRAF came into the spotlight on the 25th of November when it organized a mass rally that saw nearly 30,000 Malaysians of Indian ethnicity gathering at various locations in Kuala Lumpur. The main purpose of this gathering was to support HINDRAF’s plan to submit a petition to the British High Commission in Malaysia. The petition was to ask Queen Elizabeth II to appoint a Queen's Counsel to represent the Indian community in a class-action suit against the British Government for bringing in Indians as indentured labourers to the then Malaya and exploiting them.
The police used water cannons and teargas to disperse the crowd. 31 participants of the rally have been charged with attempted murder and causing mischief with some of them also facing a third charge of illegal assembly. The police have been targeting HINDRAF leaders over the past few weeks.
THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT
The Internal Security Act, or ISA as it is popularly know, was passed in 1960 and it was designed to curb a perceived communist threat. This act grew out of emergency rules that were part of the then Malaya’s campaign against the Malayan Communist Party during the British colonial times.
The ISA allows for the arrest and indefinite detention of a suspect perceived as “likely” to commit an act that is deemed dangerous to national security. Detainees can be held for 60 days without legal counsel, and preventive detention can subsequently be renewed every 2 years. It violates fundamental rights such as the right to trial, the right to legal counsel, the right to defend oneself in open court and the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. It also goes against the Article 5, 6,7,8,9 and 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948.
The ISA, having been amended dozens of times, also has provisions to restrict freedom of assembly,freedom of expression, and freedom of movement, amongst others. The governement has consistently used the ISA to further their own political interests. Citizens, including opposition political leaders, academics, trade unionists, and activists amongst others have been detained under this act.
Rights groups condemn and criticise the ISA as a draconian law that violates international human rights standards. It is also used as a tool to stifle peaceful political dissent. This draconian law has been misused as an instrument to clampdown and surpress any sort of democratic movement in the country.
The Malaysian government has threathened to charge more people under the Internal Security Act. This is in retaliation to the recent surge in Malaysians finally speaking out against the corrupted and unfair ruling regime. The government uses continued threats on the use of ISA to instil fear amongst the citizens so as to deter them from participating in any public gatherings, especially gatherings that voice out against the rampant corrupt practices of the government.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Please send out your letters of protests to the relevant people as stated below.
Please express your strongest condemnation and outrage on the latest arrests and the ongoing crackdown on freedom of assembly and the crackdown on all form of dissent and criticisms. Please also demand that the Malaysian government immediately releases all those arrested under this draconian Act.
Your letters should be addressed to:
1. The Prime Minister of Malaysia
Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Security,
Prime Minister’s Office Malaysia,
Perdana Putra Building,
Federal Government Administrative Centre,
62502 Putrajaya,
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +603 8888 6000
Fax: +603 8888 3444
Email: ppm@pmo.gov.my
2. The Inspector General of Police
Tan Sri Musa Hassan,
Ibu Pejabat Polis Diraja Malaysia,
50560 Bukit Aman,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
Tel: +603 2262 6015
Fax: +603 2272 5613
SAMPLE LETTER
(Your Organization’s Letterhead)
13 December 2007
Prime Minister,
Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Security,
Prime Minister’s Office Malaysia,
Perdana Putra Building,
Federal Government Administrative Centre,
62502 Putrajaya,
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +603 8888 6000
Fax: +603 8888 3444
Email: ppm@pmo.gov.my
Re: Release all 5 HINDRAF Leaders NOW
We are writing to you to register our strongest condemnation and protest against the arrest of these leaders under the Draconian Internal Security Act (ISA). The controversial ISA is a mark of a government that threatens dissent and public rallies and public criticism with unjust measures.
We demand that all those arrested be released immediately and unconditionally. We also reiterate our condemnation towards the repeated use of the ISA and the ridiculous charges pressed against them.
We strongly urge the Government to respect the right to trial and abolish the ISA and all forms of detention without trial; charge all detainees in an open court or else release them immediately and unconditionally. “Emergency” laws in Malaysia disregard human rights and violate the safeguards enshrined in the Federal Constitution and international human rights law.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely yours,
[Name]
note : Urgent Appeal Letter and Addresses were taken from the appeal forwarded by Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (Abolish ISA Movement).
Those detained are P. Uthayakumar, M. Manoharan, R. Kengadharan, V. Ganabatirau and K. Vasantha Kumar.
They were detained on Thursday, 13th of December 2007.
HINDRAF came into the spotlight on the 25th of November when it organized a mass rally that saw nearly 30,000 Malaysians of Indian ethnicity gathering at various locations in Kuala Lumpur. The main purpose of this gathering was to support HINDRAF’s plan to submit a petition to the British High Commission in Malaysia. The petition was to ask Queen Elizabeth II to appoint a Queen's Counsel to represent the Indian community in a class-action suit against the British Government for bringing in Indians as indentured labourers to the then Malaya and exploiting them.
The police used water cannons and teargas to disperse the crowd. 31 participants of the rally have been charged with attempted murder and causing mischief with some of them also facing a third charge of illegal assembly. The police have been targeting HINDRAF leaders over the past few weeks.
THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT
The Internal Security Act, or ISA as it is popularly know, was passed in 1960 and it was designed to curb a perceived communist threat. This act grew out of emergency rules that were part of the then Malaya’s campaign against the Malayan Communist Party during the British colonial times.
The ISA allows for the arrest and indefinite detention of a suspect perceived as “likely” to commit an act that is deemed dangerous to national security. Detainees can be held for 60 days without legal counsel, and preventive detention can subsequently be renewed every 2 years. It violates fundamental rights such as the right to trial, the right to legal counsel, the right to defend oneself in open court and the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. It also goes against the Article 5, 6,7,8,9 and 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948.
The ISA, having been amended dozens of times, also has provisions to restrict freedom of assembly,freedom of expression, and freedom of movement, amongst others. The governement has consistently used the ISA to further their own political interests. Citizens, including opposition political leaders, academics, trade unionists, and activists amongst others have been detained under this act.
Rights groups condemn and criticise the ISA as a draconian law that violates international human rights standards. It is also used as a tool to stifle peaceful political dissent. This draconian law has been misused as an instrument to clampdown and surpress any sort of democratic movement in the country.
The Malaysian government has threathened to charge more people under the Internal Security Act. This is in retaliation to the recent surge in Malaysians finally speaking out against the corrupted and unfair ruling regime. The government uses continued threats on the use of ISA to instil fear amongst the citizens so as to deter them from participating in any public gatherings, especially gatherings that voice out against the rampant corrupt practices of the government.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Please send out your letters of protests to the relevant people as stated below.
Please express your strongest condemnation and outrage on the latest arrests and the ongoing crackdown on freedom of assembly and the crackdown on all form of dissent and criticisms. Please also demand that the Malaysian government immediately releases all those arrested under this draconian Act.
Your letters should be addressed to:
1. The Prime Minister of Malaysia
Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Security,
Prime Minister’s Office Malaysia,
Perdana Putra Building,
Federal Government Administrative Centre,
62502 Putrajaya,
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +603 8888 6000
Fax: +603 8888 3444
Email: ppm@pmo.gov.my
2. The Inspector General of Police
Tan Sri Musa Hassan,
Ibu Pejabat Polis Diraja Malaysia,
50560 Bukit Aman,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
Tel: +603 2262 6015
Fax: +603 2272 5613
SAMPLE LETTER
(Your Organization’s Letterhead)
13 December 2007
Prime Minister,
Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Security,
Prime Minister’s Office Malaysia,
Perdana Putra Building,
Federal Government Administrative Centre,
62502 Putrajaya,
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +603 8888 6000
Fax: +603 8888 3444
Email: ppm@pmo.gov.my
Re: Release all 5 HINDRAF Leaders NOW
We are writing to you to register our strongest condemnation and protest against the arrest of these leaders under the Draconian Internal Security Act (ISA). The controversial ISA is a mark of a government that threatens dissent and public rallies and public criticism with unjust measures.
We demand that all those arrested be released immediately and unconditionally. We also reiterate our condemnation towards the repeated use of the ISA and the ridiculous charges pressed against them.
We strongly urge the Government to respect the right to trial and abolish the ISA and all forms of detention without trial; charge all detainees in an open court or else release them immediately and unconditionally. “Emergency” laws in Malaysia disregard human rights and violate the safeguards enshrined in the Federal Constitution and international human rights law.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely yours,
[Name]
note : Urgent Appeal Letter and Addresses were taken from the appeal forwarded by Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (Abolish ISA Movement).