SHAH ALAM – A Selangor lawmaker has called for the infamous Kamunting Detention Camp to be turned into a heritage and tourist attraction site, in the same vein that Robben Island, where South Africa’s Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, has become.
Reading his open letter containing 11 wishes to new Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Hulu Kelang assemblyman Saari Sungib highlighted, among others, the potential that Kamunting rehabilitation camp can offer.
He said the camp in Taiping, Perak, has the potential to be a heritage site, “similar to the prison camp of Robben Island in South Africa.”
The prison in Robben Island is situated 7.4km north of Cape Town and it is a renowned place in which Mandela, a former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, endured for 18 years fighting against apartheid.
The island was turned into a museum in 1997 and two years later, it was declared a national monument and received designation as a Unesco World Heritage site.
Saari, who was twice detained without trial himself, also called for the release of all political prisoners, including those at the Kamunting and Simpang Renggam camps.
“Today, Robben Island is a tourist attraction. So it is clear that the Kamunting camp can be turned into a world heritage site to commemorate the oppression and sufferings that have preyed on tens of thousands of Malaysians,” said Saari at the Selangor assembly yesterday.
He urged the prime minister not to forget the dark days experienced by detainees and political prisoners under the Internal Security Act (ISA) many years ago.
“Other than a symbol of political struggle and oppression in our nation’s history, the camp has the potential to be a tourist attraction and could generate a lot of economic spinoffs just like Robben Island,” said Saari.
It is reported that Robben Island has received more than 200,000 visitors annually since it was opened as a tourist site.
He cited a study by a University of London doctoral student and findings by Human Rights Watch that tens of thousands of detainees inhabited the camp for many years.
Saari was arrested under ISA in 1998 and again in 2001, and was kept detained until 2003. He was declared as a political prisoner by Human Rights Watch and a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.
In 2016, Saari, together with four other ISA detainees including former Batu MP Tian Chua, activist Hishamuddin Rais and Badaruddin Ismail and former PKR central leadership council member Badrul Amin Baharom, were awarded RM5.16 million in compensation by the Court of Appeal after suing the government for unlawful detention.
In 2011, Saari released a book “Kamunting Camp Torment: Life story under ISA” (Sengsara Kem Kamunting) in which he described the interrogation technique in Kamunting as paralleling the CIA methods of grilling Guantanamo detainees.
He also wrote a few other books about his ordeal at the Kamunting Camp which include “Unlawful Detention & Mala Fide” (Penahanan Tidak Sah & Mala Fide) and “Suffering in Prison Without Trial” (Derita Penjara Tanpa Bicara).
Recalling the pain, the Hulu Kelang representative said he will not forget the daily mental torture and vulgarities from the interrogation officers at the camp.
“Thus, I would like to ask our prime minister to release all political prisoners as soon as possible including those in Kamunting and Simpang Renggam currently,” he said, adding that it would augur well for Malaysia’s human rights standing.
Anwar was detained under ISA and sent to Kamunting Camp for 20 months in 1974 due to his involvement in fighting for poor Kedah farmers’ plight and against poverty in a series of demonstrations held in Kuala Lumpur back then. – The Vibes, November 30, 2022
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