Court in Malaysia endorses detention of 5 Hindraf members

Kuala Lumpur: Five ethnic Indian leaders, detained indefinitely under a draconian security law in Malaysia for organising a rally to demand racial equality, did not get any reprieve from the High Court (HC), which turned down their application for freedom on Tuesday.

Dismissing the habeas corpus (wrongful detention) application of the five leaders of the non-governmental Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), Kuala Lumpur HC Judicial Commissioner Zainal Azman Ab Aziz ruled that the detention order issued against them on December 13 last year, was valid under the law.

Hindraf, spearheading protests against the alleged discrimination of ethnic Indians, had organised a massive rally, declared illegal by the government, on November 25 last year, in which over 20,000 people participated.

Following the rally, Premier Abdullah Badawi in his capacity as Internal Security Minister issued the detention order under the controversial Internal Security Act (ISA).

The Hindraf leaders held under the law allowing indefinite detention without trial are M Manoharan, P Uthayakumar, V Ganabatirau, R Kengadharan and K Vasantha Kumar.

Zainal said the ISA section under which they were held was independent and could be operated without relying on arrest and inquiries under any other section of the act. "It has given the minister the power to make his own decision," he said.