Anwar urged to intervene after home ministry shuns Sosma memo

Anwar urged to intervene after home ministry shuns Sosma memo

PUTRAJAYA: An NGO has called on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to intervene after the home ministry refused to accept a memorandum from family members of Sosma detainees demanding urgent answers about their loved ones’ well-being.

The families, who staged a hunger strike outside Sungai Buloh prison last weekend, gathered at the ministry’s building here today to push for a meeting with officials and hand over the memorandum.

Sevan Doraisamy, executive director of human rights group Suaram, said a home ministry official met with the families but only said that she would relay their concerns.

He urged Anwar to look into the matter, saying he himself had been incarcerated in Sungai Buloh prison and had encountered Sosma detainees during his time there.

“The home ministry seems like a fortress, unwilling to engage with the public,” said Sevan.

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“If the home ministry won’t address this, then it’s time to get the prime minister’s attention.

“The families’ demand was simple – to meet an officer and submit the memorandum. This should have been a simple affair. Just bring a representative (of the families) inside for a 30-minute discussion and receive the document.”

Sevan said the families were now considering further action, including resuming their hunger strike, continuing their protest outside the ministry, or even marching to the Prime Minister’s Office.

He also highlighted the detainees’ ongoing hunger strike, noting that more than 20 individuals were participating.

About 50 people, including the family members of Sosma detainees, camped outside the prison last weekend to protest their visit applications being rejected.

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They decided to go on a hunger strike in solidarity with the detainees after human rights commission Suhakam said on Wednesday that it would investigate claims of inadequate medical care and delayed trials faced by several Sosma detainees.

Suaram said yesterday the families wanted to meet home ministry officials in Putrajaya to demand answers as to why their applications to visit the detainees were refused.

The applications were dismissed last Friday after prison officials said the office would be closed for five days due to the Thaipusam holiday. Thaipusam falls on Tuesday, Feb 11.

At around 2.30pm, Sevan told the media that the family members had managed to get past the entrance to the ministry’s complex and were waiting outside its main building.

Rela personnel at the entrance to the building however barred them from entering.

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“We will wait here until a representative from the home ministry takes this matter seriously,” Sevan said.