Release all, repeal ISA, close Kamunting

Was at the Kamunting candlelight vigil last night.

Zorro, Tony Yew and I left KL at about 3pm yesterday, stopped at Ipoh around 5pm to pick up Md Noor and savour his wife’s mee curry and were back on the road a little after 6pm.

Enroute, phone calls confirmed that road blocks to the Kamunting detention centre were already up.

Got to Kamunting town about 7.15pm and after making inquiries, were told that the meeting point was a mosque about 3-4 km from the detention centre.

When we got to the mosque, there was already an early crowd gathered. Tony and I estimated this early crowd at around 150 people.

Young and old, from all walks of life.

One people, one nation, one cause.

Around 8pm, someone from GMI made an announcement that the vigil would proceed from this meeting point, that when halted by the police, GMI would negotiate with the police to allow a short vigil programme of speeches and when the call to disperse was made, we were all to disperse peacefully.

5 minutes later, the numbers now about 300, the slow walk to the detention centre started.

Along the way, people were seen leaving their cars or coming out from shops to join in the walk.

Then, a stop just before a second mosque a short distance from the detention centre, to light candles, and then continue.

Within minutes, the walk could proceed no further. The vigil had reached within 30 feet of the FRU blockade. The time now was about 8.45pm.

The vigil had reached its destination but was going no further, it would seem. Tony and I estimated the numbers then as around 500. Malaysiakini’s report, though, has it as around 1,000. Both Tony and I acknowledge that we are not all that hot at estimating numbers!

So, what now?

Negotiations with the police for a short programme, it seems, elicited an agreement to allow the vigil to proceed for 10 minutes.

You can catch most of what was said on the Malaysiakini report.

I just want to focus on what Puan Norlaila Othman,

wife of soon-to-be ‘6 years in ISA detention’, Mat Shah Mohd Satray, said.

Norlaila said that in the last 6 years, she has tried every due process to get her husband out, to no avail.

Habeas corpus application, memorandums, seeing the appropriate minister, seeing Pak Lah, all coming to nought.

She had no choice now but to fully immerse herself in this anti-ISA campaign if she, her children and her husband were to have avy hope of a normal family life together.

Her wish : release all, repeal the ISA and close Kamunting.

By about 9.15pm, the call to disperse came and was heeded to. As people moved away, many broke into song.

I lit a candle for Toni Kasim on the walk back.

As we walked back to the mosque from which the walk started, I chatted with Uncle Hiam and his wife, both from Menglembu.

Uncle Hiam was surprised that i had come all the way from Pahang for the vigil.

I replied that my brothers were in detention.

‘Sapa’, he asked.

I replied that all detainees were my brothers.

He nodded.

‘Itu betul. Kita semua orang Malaysia’.

That, for me, summed up the night.

Note :

It is estimated that there 70 – 75 presently detained under the ISA. Details of all are not presently available.

Tony has listed the details of some 57 at his blog.