Published: Monday September 21, 2009 MYT 10:27:00 AM
Mas Selamat ‘happy’ to be detained in Msia
By ELIZABETH LOOI
KUALA LUMPUR: Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militant Mas Selamat Kastari is happy to be detained in Malaysia, but he hopes to see his wife and five children during the Hari Raya celebration, according to Suhakam (the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia) vice-chairman Tan Sri Simon Sipaun.
Sipaun told The Straits Times that Mas Selamat, who is currently detained under the Internal Security Act, did not have any complaints about the detention centre in Kamunting, Perak, when he visited him on Friday.
“He said he did not get tortured or beaten in the detention centre,” he said in a telephone interview on Sunday. “He only wanted his family to visit him, but so far, they have not visited him yet.”
Sipaun said Mas Selamat, 48, looked calm and happy. The latter believed that the Singapore authorities had confiscated his family’s travel documents; hence, they could not leave Singapore, he said.
Sipaun said Mas Selamat also claimed he had been drugged while he was in detention in Singapore. He said he did not feel normal most of the time and was always dizzy.
According to Sipaun, he met Mas Selamat for half an hour as part of Suhakam’s routine checks on the detention centre.
Suhakam is a human rights commission headed by government-appointed commissioners. Sipaun was once the Sabah Public Service Commission chairman.
Suhakam carries out regular checks on detention centres and prisons throughout the country, to ensure there is no violation of human rights.
Home Ministry secretary-general Mahmood Adam confirmed on Sunday that his ministry would allow Mas Selamat’s wife to visit him in Kamunting.
“We have no problem. As long as she has the proper travel documents, she can visit him anytime,” he said. -- ANN/ The Straits Times
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