Shamsudin, a former POPO detainee, related the story of successive remands (also known as chain smoking) in the POPO forum organised by Bar Council and Suaram held on last Saturday.
POPO is the acronym for The Emergency (Public Order and Preventive of Crime) Ordinance 1969. POPO is a product of May 13. It is enacted on May 16, 1969 to curb the racial riot.
Shamsudin was arrested at Alor Setar. He was brought before the magistrate and remanded for 10 days. It was alleged that the Police brought him from one town to another town and he was remanded for more than 143 days in total. He told the audience that he was brought before the magistrate at Alor Setar, Sungai Petani, Kulim, Bukit Mertajam, Butterworth, Taiping, Ipoh and Lumut.
In law, a magistrate can issue a remand order up to 14 days. However, multiple remand orders is a blatant abuse to rule of law. If the Police cannot finish the investigation within 14 days, then the detainee should be released.
Shamsudin was later sent to Simpang Renggam detention camp for 2 years under POPO. After 2 years, he was given a restrictive residence order to a place called Jerantut. He told the audience that he could not find a living in that backwater village. There were around 200 Malay families and he was the only Indian-Muslim in the community.
POPO is a law on preventive detention. It is the same genus as ISA.
In another related development, Minister in the PM Department, Dato Seri Mohamed Nazri told the Parliament that he has consulted the AG's Chambers on revamping the Emergency Ordinances. However, he will not commit to any possible reform.
This is what reported in the Hansard on 21-8-06.
"Terima kasih Tuan Yang di-Pertua. Saya ingin mengucapkan berbanyak terima kasihlah kepada Yang Berhormat bagi Bukit Gelugor. Dia telah membangkitkan berkenaan soal mengapa kita tidak menggunakan Artikel 150(3) untuk membatalkan semua ordinan darurat yang telah dikeluarkan pada tahun 1948, 1964 dan 1969.
Saya telah pun menghubungi pihak AG's Chambers untuk supaya kita menimbangkan pandangan Yang Berhormat itu yang memang memerlukan kepada satu exercise yang besar-besaran untuk melihat berkenaan dengan peruntukan-peruntukan yang mana kalau sekiranya ia masih diperlukan, maka kita harus memperaktakannya dan tidak lagi mengguna Ordinan-ordinan Darurat ini.
Jadi, dalam hal ini oleh kerana kita meminda maritim oleh kerana ordinan ini tidak dibatalkan, maka ia masih lagi menjadi undang-undang. Jadi dalam membincangkan rang undang-undang ini, maka sememangnyalah kita terpaksa meminda ordinan ini kerana ia masih lagi menjadi undang-undang."
The news coverage on the forum and the relevant material can also be found in the following links.
The mainstream media did not cover this forum.
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