Former detainees sue Govt

Adapted from TheStar

KUALA LUMPUR: Former detainees M. Manoharan and P. Uthayakumar are suing the Government and five others for RM200mil over their arrest and detention under the Internal Security Act.

Manoharan and Uthayakumar, who are lawyers, claimed they were arrested unlawfully by the police between 2.30pm and 5pm on Dec 13, 2007.

They said they were detained for 514 days until their release on May 9 last year.

They claimed they were served with a restricted order dated May 8 to restrict their movement to a specific district upon their release and were only served with a revocation order lifting the ban last year.

In their statement of claim, Manoharan stated that he was brought to Travers police station here while Uthayakumar was taken to Wangsa Maju police station without any investigation.

The plaintiffs contended that they were served with detention orders dated Dec 13, 2007, signed by former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The detention orders stated they would be detained without trial under ISA for two years at Kamunting detention centre in Taiping. Manoharan said he was elected as Kota Alam Shah assemblyman on March 8, 2008, but had to take his oath at the detention centre and could not attend all Selangor Assembly sittings.

In their lawsuit, they also named Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Abdullah, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and the detention centre superintendent as defendants.

They filed the suit at the High Court civil registry at 8.16am yesterday.

They claimed they had gone through various difficulties, pain and suffered losses, including ill-health, due to the arrest and detention.

Speaking to reporters, Manoharan said they decided to take legal action as their reputation was ruined after they were claimed to have links with terrorists.

Among others, Uthayakumar said he was denied diabetic medication and suffered a swollen left leg.

He said he also suffered financial losses as his law firm in Mutiara Bangsar had to be closed.

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