Repeal draconian law urges Bar Council

Malaysia's top legal association urged the government on Saturday to repeal a harsh law used recently to detain dozens of members of a Muslim cult that caused the country's biggest security scare in decades.

''The Internal Security Act is a law that is repugnant to the protection of basic civil and political rights,'' Malaysian Bar Council chairman Sulaiman Abdullah said in a statement.

''This country which we dearly love, cherish and protect is mature enough to reject the anachronistic crutches of the colonial past,'' he said.

The council, which represents 9,000 lawyers, said that the latest use of the ISA to detain members of the Al-Ma'unah cult could not be justified on the grounds of national security because the law denied suspects a public trial.

The law, derived from British law, was enacted in 1960 to counter militant communists and allows suspects to be jailed indefinitely without trial or access to lawyers and family members.

It has been used over the years to imprison hundreds of people, including mechanics, legislators and fishermen, on charges of threatening national security, which enjoys a loose government definition.

Earlier this week, authorities said they were using the ISA to hold 27 Muslim militants and dozens of other Al-Ma'unah cultists who were recently involved in a major security crisis.

Police say the 27 men, who raided two military bases and fought soldiers with stolen weapons last month, will eventually face charges of murder, kidnapping and illegal possession of firearms.