By S.Arutchelvan, Secretary General PSM
After waiting for hours in anxiety, we were finally notified by DSP Muhammad Razali that Dr. Jeyakumar has declined lunch and dinner and his condition is said to be ‘okay’ as of 9.35pm on 28 July 2001 and that he is being monitored.
With this information, it is clear now that Dr. Jeyakumar is on hunger strike and he has stated that he will only stop once the Government releases all of the 6 detainees currently held under the draconian Emergency Ordinance – another detention without trial legislation.
We have reached a very crucial part of this campaign to seek the release of the EO6. Though the police can detain someone for 60 days but the EO allows for a review within 30days which will end on 31 July 2011.
We will also make it clear that the Home Minister is entitled to revoke this order and any time. We therefore call upon the Home Minister Hishamuddin to use his powers to immediately release the six without conditions.
The detention of the PSM EO six is unjustified and this can be reflected at the nightly candle light vigil all over the country. The huge number of organizations locally and internationally opposes this arrest and have called for the release.
Politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties have called for the immediate release. It is therefore not in the
interest of the Government to detain the six further.
In any circumstance, if the Government plans to continue to remand the six against the popular sentiment, PSM and other groups would be intensifying the campaign to demand for their immediate release. We believe that more Malaysians will be joining Dr. Jeyakumar in this hunger strike to call for the release.
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Jimmy Tan
