KUALA LUMPUR, The police in Taiping has been informed of a candle light vigil to be organized by a coalition against Internal Security Act (ISA) - Abolish ISA Movement (GMI) -, scheduled to be held at a detention camp some 300km north of here.
GMI programme director for the event Norlaila Othman, said the police was informed of the event on Monday June 2 and requested that there be no "excessive action" on the part of those taking part in the event.
"We have stated that we would only be standing still for the vigil and there would be a short speech," Norlaila said when asked to update on the event that will take place on June 7, at 8pm in front of the Kamunting Detention Camp.
Some 1,000 participants are expected to take place in the event. The event is being held to "peacefully" protest against violations of human rights of those currently detained.
The ISA, which was legislated in the 60's to deal with communist insurgencies allows for detention without trial but critics to the draconian laws pointed that the Act has been abused to ensure the ruling coalition grip on power.
Detainee experience paralysis after a year under ISA detention
Some 70 Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees are currently detained for six years and the vigil is to coincide with an ongoing campaign to release the detainees.
Norlaila said former GMI coordinator turned state assemblyman Chang Lih Kang would be present at the event along with other state executive councillor members.
She told journalists this when met after GMI handed a memorandum on the alleged physical and psychological abuse against ISA detainee Sanjeev Kumar Krishnan to the National Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) here today.
GMI had earlier announced that it decided not to apply for a police permit for the event citing that its previous attempts had been rejected and that the public has the right to freedom of assembly.
Sanjeev who was detained July 27 last year for allegedly being a "foreign agent", was said to have experienced deteriorating physical conditions and to have suffered paralysis.
His wife K. Sharmila said her husband was a "lively" and "active" person before the detention. – Saadon Aksah/ES
Harakah Daily
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