http://www.atimes.com/se-asia/CH11Ae02.html

August 11, 2001

Southeast Asia

DIRE STRAITS

Whose blood will flow?

By Anil Netto

PENANG, Malaysia - The wives of 10 Malaysians detained under the Internal Security Act have pleaded for their unconditional release and filed a complaint with the government-appointed Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam).

The 10 were detained last week on suspicion of being members of the "Malaysian Mujahidin Group" that had received military training in Afghanistan and which was waging a "holy war" in Malaysia.

The wives were accompanied to the Suhakam by their children and some 100 opposition supporters. Also present were Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) president Fadzil Noor and National Justice Party president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the wife of jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

Deputy Home Minister Zainal Abidin Zain told parliament on Wednesday that of the 10 arrested last week, seven are PAS state and branch youth leaders and members, two are PAS supporters and the remaining one is an expelled PAS member. Among those held is Nik Adli Nik Aziz, the son of the chief minister of PAS-controlled Kelantan state, Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

Nik Adli has been identified as the leader of the Malaysian Mujahidin Movement, said Zainal. According to him, Nik Adli was appointed to head the group by a 12-man committee in early 1999 after the former chairman was deemed not aggressive enough and did not have the vision to lead the group.

Zainal was responding on Wednesday to an emergency motion in parliament to condemn the arrests tabled by Fadzil, who is also the parliamentary opposition leader.

Zainal said the beginnings of the Malaysian Mujahidin Group could be traced to a bloody confrontation in Memali village in 1985, when 13 followers of an Islamic leader were killed and several police personnel injured. The clash was followed by the burning of a site in Baling in 1989, he added. "The group then planned and executed an attack on the Guar Chempedak police station on February 2 this year, followed by the Al Ma'unah [arms heists from two army camps] incident in Bukit Jenalik and the murder of a non-Muslim individual who was deemed to be a non-Muslim missionary," he said.

The group finally robbed two banks before some of their members were killed or captured by police, said Zainal. After the arrests, police said they recovered an arms cache.

The authorities, after collecting information from those already in custody, then decided to make another 10 arrests under the ISA last week, according to Zainal. This, he said, was to prevent them from initiating a jihad (holy war) movement. He said those detained adhered to the teachings of a Palestinian leader who preached that the seeds of jihad could not prosper without the shedding of blood.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Monday denied that the latest arrests amounted to a crackdown against the opposition. He also defended the use of the ISA.

But critics were not convinced. "The government's first and urgent duty is to prove the existence of [a mujahidin group] responsible for murder, mayhem and robberies and convince Malaysians that it is not another ploy against the opposition," said Lim Kit Siang of the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP).

The latest round of arrests came as PAS defied a police ban on ceramahs (political forums) and instead pressed on with its grueling campaign schedule. It also coincides with - and perhaps diverts attention away from - plans by the government to take over well-connected but debt-ridden United Engineers, a shareholder of Renong Bhd, Malaysia's largest corporate debtor.

The wives of the 10 have insisted that their husbands are not involved in militant activities and are expected to initiate habeas corpus proceedings in court next week. At the meeting with Suhakam, Fadzil said the struggle to abolish the ISA, which permits indefinite detention without trial and usually entails relentless interrogation, would continue. He urged Suhakam, itself under fire from the government after calling for an easing of curbs on public assemblies, to take prompt action.

Suhakam and rights groups have urged the authorities to charge the 10 in open court if there was evidence to back the allegations of militancy. "They should be charged to allow them the opportunity to defend themselves against the accusations made by the authorities," said Suhakam commissioner Professor Hamdan Adnan.

The arrests of the 10 is the latest in a series of events that have raised eyebrows. In April, 10 reformasi (reform) activists were detained under the ISA for allegedly trying to topple the government through militant means. Six of them are still being detained but so far no evidence of militancy has been produced to the public.

Instead, some of the reformasi detainees have complained that much of the interrogation had nothing to do with militancy but focused on other areas including trying to prove sexual misconduct. They have produced fresh affidavits in their habeas corpus appeal at the Federal Court.

Two university students were also detained in July after the authorities accused them of militant activities but both have since been released. Mahathir has said that Malay students are not concentrating on studies and are more interested in politics. The authorities are now planning to introduce a meritocracy system in stages for university admissions after years of ethnic-based quotas in favor of Malays and other indigenous groups.

Then came the scare on Black Metal music and occult influences, which was said to be exposing the youth to negative influences. A ban on outdoor sales of VCDs and CDs to the public followed. The reason: to curb the distribution of pornographic movies. But also hit by the crackdown are outdoor vendors selling VCDs of reformasi events and ceramahs held by popular opposition speakers.

It is perhaps not a coincidence that the youth have been targeted in the earlier crackdowns on social ills. While social ills may be on the rise, much of the dissent against the Mahathir administration has also come from the younger generation who feel they don't owe anything to the government and hence don't see why they should be grateful. Many are also upset by what they perceive as abuse of power, cronyism and bail-outs, and the continuing detention of Anwar.

Intentionally or otherwise, the latest round of arrests has had the effect of making some sections of the populace more wary of PAS, which is in the midst of discussions with the multi-ethnic but Chinese-based DAP over the Islamic state controversy. Much of the future opposition cooperation could well hinge on the outcome of these talks.