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KL frees 4 Islamic terror suspects held without trial
 Malaysia's government has released four suspected Islamic militants jailed without trial for more than five years, but authorities are still restricting their movements, activists said Saturday.The four men were arrested in January and February 2002 under the Internal Security Act, or ISA - which allows indefinite detention without trial - during a crackdown on the al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah and its Malaysian affiliate, Kumpulan Militan Malaysia. The four were released June 15 from the Kamunting prison camp in northern Malaysia, and informed of conditions restricting their movement in the districts where they live, said a statementfrom the Abolish ISA Movement, a Malaysian human rights group. Internal Security Ministry officials could not be immediately be contacted for comment Saturday. The government usually does not always publicly announce the release of people held under the ISA. The Abolish ISA Movement identified the four men as Ahmad Yani Ismail, Mohamad Sha Sarijan, Roshelmy Mohamad Sharif and Abdullah Mohamed Noor - all accused by authorities of being Jemaah Islamiyah members. No reason was given for the release, but security officials have said in previous cases that suspects were freed after they repented following intensive rehabilitation. It was Malaysia's first release of alleged militants since October 2006. More than 200 suspected members of Jemaah Islamiyah and Kumpulan Militan Malaysia have been arrested under the ISA, mostly between 2001 and 2003. Activists estimate that up to 70 of them remain held without trial in Kamunting. International and Malaysian human rights groups say the ISA has tarnished Malaysia's rights record. Government officials insist it is necessary to protect national security and ensure stability. Jemaah Islamiyah, which officials say wants to create an Islamic state across much of Southeast Asia, has been blamed for the 2002 bombings on Indonesia's resort island of Bali, attacksin 2003 and 2004 on the J.W. Marriott Hotel and Australian Embassy in Jakarta, and triple suicide bombings in 2005 on restaurants in Bali. Posted by: Fred 2007-06-28 |
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