Urgent appeal: Free the Malaysian socialist detainees!

Candlelight vigils (also see pics below) are being held outside the federal police HQ at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur.

By Peter Boyle, national convenor Socialist Alliance (Australia)

July 13, 2011 -- Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- Six Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) members, including federal Member of Parliament for Sungai Siput Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, are still being detained without trial even though the popular Bersih 2.0 democracy mobilisation is over. They are being held under an Emergency Ordinance (EO) that allows 60-day renewable detentions – even though the country is not under a declared emergency.

The six were among 30 PSM activists detained under another draconian law on June 24 when they were participating in a peaceful national bus tour campaign for the government to step down. The 30 were then ridiculously accused of “waging war against the king”. After seven days, 24 were released on bail but Dr Jeyakumar and with five other activists – PSM deputy president M. Saraswathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M. Sugumaran, youth chief R. Sarathbabu and Sungai Siput branch secretary A. Letchumanan – were re-arrested as soon as they were on July 2 under the EO.

Petitions signed by 4000 people and some 40 NGOs – calling for the immediate release of the six – have been delivered to the Barisan Nasional government and for the last few days candlelight vigils (see pics below) have been held outside the federal police HQ at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur.

The campaign for the release of the PSM detainees needs your urgent help. So if you can make a donation to the campaign please send it to:

Please transfer donations to the PSM account as follows

Account name : PSM CENTRE

Account No: 0061 – 10 -003237-7

Bank : EON BANK

Branch : Brickfields ( Tun Sambanthan ) Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia

Swift Code: EOBBMYKL

[Protest letters still are urgently needed to be sent to the Malaysian government, please visit http://www.parti-sosialis.org/en/en/articles/1585 for details of where they can be sent. See also "Malaysia: Protests demand release of democracy activists" and "Asia-Pacific socialists demand: 'Free all political prisoners! Democracy for the Malaysian people!'"]