(Petaling Jaya, Wednesday): The
Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad had commended the release of the
Burmese opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureatte, Aung San Suu Kyi from
19-month house arrest by the Myanmese military junta on Monday as “progress”
and showing common sense on both
sides.
It
is now the turn for Mahathir to show “progress” in the field of democracy
and human rights as well as “good sense”. He should release the six
reformasi activists, Mohamad Ezam Mohamad Nor, Hishamuddin Rais, Chua Tian
Chang, Saari Sungib, Badrulamin Bahron and Lokman Noor Adam, who had been
detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for more than a year before he
leaves for his meeting with United States President Bush to show that it is not
only Burma but also Malaysia which is serious about democratisation in South
East Asia.
In
this connection, the new second-term Suhakam Commissioners should make a special
representation to Mahathir for the release of the reformasi six before the Prime
Minister’s departure for Washinton next week.
Suhakam,
under the chairmanship of Tan Sri Musa Hitam, made a public statement after a
special meeting on April 11, 2001 expressing "deep regrets" over the
ISA detention of the reformasi
activists, calling for their immediate release and that they should be charged
and tried in an open court for any
offences.
The
new Suhakam Chairman, Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman and the second-term Suhakam
should be bound by the decision of Suhakam of April 11, 2001 calling for the
immediate release of the reformasi activists, and they should ask for a special
meeting with the Prime Minister to urge the release of the reformasi activists
before his departure for the United States.
(8/5/2002)