THE Internal Security Act (ISA) has been receiving much attention, with expectation that the government plans to amend this legislation that allows for indefinite detention without trial. However, civil society groups have been fighting to draw more focus to two other laws that also allow for detention without trial.
The Fairly Current Show host Fahmi Fadzil speaks with human rights lawyer Edmund Bon who explains that many more Malaysians are currently detained without trial under the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance and the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act than under the ISA.
Bon says that while there are currently only 15 people under ISA detention, there are between 800 and 1,000 under the Emergency Ordinance and between 400 and 500 under the Dangerous Drugs Act. And while ISA detainees are often well known because they are frequently political personalities, those detained under the Emergency Ordinance and the Dangerous Drugs Act are largely unknown and hence receive little notice.
Bon is a human rights advocate and lawyer, and the Bar Council’s constitutional law committee chairperson. He is actively involved in several legal and civil society projects, including PerlembagaanKu/MyConstitution and Loyarburok.
This video interview first appeared on PopTeeVee. The site hosts other video interviews with notable personalities on notable issues.
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