Tired of waiting for their freedom, two of the 45 detained in Kamunting, Perak, under the Internal Security Act (ISA) began the second round of their hunger strike on Thursday.

NONE Lawyers for Liberty spokesperson Fadiah Nadwa Fikri ( left ) said the detainees, both Malaysians, are no longer willing to wait until the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) secures their release.

“We met Mohd Fadzullah Abdul Razak with nine other detainees today. Mohd Fadzullah told us that he and another detainee, Razali, don’t want to wait until the end of the month,” she told Malaysiakini yesterday.

Fadiah said the rest of the detainees unanimously decided to join in the hunger strike after the June 30 deadline they have set for Suhakam to come back with a positive decision.

Suhakam commissioner James Nagayam said earlier this month the commission needed at least one month to convince the Home Ministry to either press charges or free or deport the detainees.

             

NONE As of now 20 Malaysian and 25 foreigners are being held  in Kamunting, some for alleged involvement in the Darul Islam movement and others for suspected human trafficking.

Some are expected to be detained until 2014, even though the ISA was abolished by the Dewan Rakyat in April and replaced with the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.

However, the new legislation does not guarantee the release of the detainees as Section 32 of the new Act states that any order issued under the ISA is not affected by the ISA repeal, unless it is revoked by the home minister.

Last month, 12 of the 45 detainees staged a hunger strike, demanding their release following the repeal of ISA. They ended their strike after a visit by Suhakam commissioners.