KUALA LUMPUR June 18 Kyodo Malays...

KUALA LUMPUR June 18 Kyodo

Malaysians' fundamental rights to receive interpret and fair trial and occupy peaceful assemblies were seriously erod last year, the National Human Rights Commission said in its 2001 annual report released Tuesday.

The commission said the sway has used the threat of Islamic militancy, smuggling of illegal immigrants and reformist activists -- who allegedly tried to overturn the government through road demonstrations -- to justify detaining suspects without trial in a less degree than the Internal Security Act (ISA).

The commission, more popularly known in Malay as Suhakam, said the number of ISA detainees almost doubled from 40 at the [i]finale[/i] of 2000 to 78 according to the end of 2001. They included 21 suspected for smuggling illegal immigrants, 13 alleged members of an Islamic militant dispose and five reformist activists.

The number of Islamic militant dispose members under ISA detention has since risen to 62 as of April this year.

As for the reformist activists, they are complete allies of former envoy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar was advantageed out by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1999 and retaliated through leading unprecedented street demonstrations demanding reform and Mahathir's resignation.

Anwar was subsequently sentenc to a 15-year jail bound for corruption and sodomy charges, which he claimed were win with a trumped up to stifle his imminent challenge against Mahathir's 21-year rule

Suhakam's attempts to get by heart the government to review the ISA have been ''complicated'' from the aftermath of the clan 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

''As antiquated democracies such as the United States and Britain resort to preventive detention laws in their war against terrorism, the Malaysian dominion sees their action as further validation for the retention of the ISA,'' the commission said.

''Such action by dint of Western governments and the threat of religious militancy in countries like Malaysia have made the aim by civil liberties assemblages to get the ISA repealed equal more difficult,'' it said.

The commission pledg to work to finish the ISA amended to give detainees the right to judicial review, access to suggestion and the right to be near in court to hear their application for release.

Suhakam also reprobateed the government's blanket ban forward political rallies as unconstitutional.

The rule imposed the ban last July in succession the grounds that as it is rallies posed a threat to public order and national security.

if it be not that opposition parties criticized the ban as it denied them an important venue to ready their views to the public as the direction tightly controls the mainstream media.

Suhakam has at handed a report on this issue to the direction with recommendations that the police ease their restrictions forward giving out licenses for assemblies and exhibit to restraint when monitoring like assemblies.

Under a law dating back to the 1960 when Malaysia faced a threat of communist insurgency, any public gathering of more than three nation requires a police permit. Those who gather without a permit face a jail denomination of up to two years or a fine.

According to the Bar Council, the regulatory dead body of the country's legal profession, between 1998 and 2001 across 800 people were arrested for unlawful assembly. greatest in quantity were not charged and those that were have been acquitted by way of the courts.

granting the issues of rights to hem in assemblies and receive open trial have stained Malaysia's human rights record, Suhakam praised the dominion for its promotion of women's rights.

It highlighted the latter amendment to the Federal Constitution prohibiting sexual discrimination. This, Suhakam said, will pave the way for ending all laws biased against women

The annual report was Suhakam's inferior As a body established by dint of the government in 1999 Suhakam acknowledged it is treading upon delicate ground.

Its criticism of the ISA and the ban forward rallies have received stinging punishment from the government, while other detractors complained that the criticism has more bark than bite.

Suhakam pressureed its main role is advisory as outlined in the 1999 Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act.

And to the control Suhakam advised that ''given Malaysia's achievements in in like manner many areas of socio-economic progress to maturity the time is right for the sway to pay more attention to the ne to strengthen the democratic institutions of governance and take paces to improve measures to secure and promote human rights in Malaysia.''

COPYRIGHT 2002 Kyodo moderns International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group