Activists gather near prison camp

Activists gather near prison camp

MALAYSIA: Dozens of human rights activists gathered near a Malaysian prison in Kamunting on Sunday to demand to release of six opposition figures and to mark the anniversary of a corruption case against the country's former deputy leader, who has become a rallying point for critics of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's 20-year rule.

The activists were prevented from holding a demonstration outside the prison in the town of Kamunting, 250 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur, by more than 100 riot police who mobilized water cannon and sealed off roads.

But relatives of six anti-government figures imprisoned there last year -- five members of Malaysia's opposition National Justice Party and a supporter -- were allowed to visit, said S. Arutchelvam, a spokesman for local human rights group Suaram.

Five of the six detained opposition figures announced on Sunday they would stop drinking water in protest against the authorities' alleged refusal to hospitalize a "critically ill" detainee.

The six launched the hunger strike on April 10 but complications arose when one of them, Badrulamin Bahron, was reported to be suffering from high blood pressure on just the second day of the strike. --Agencies