Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Selangor to look after families of ISA detainees

The Star : Tuesday May 27, 2008


SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Government has pledged to help families of Internal Security Act detainees by providing welfare assistance. Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said several steps could be taken to help the wives and children while their husbands or fathers were being detained. For example, he said, the state government could absorb the travelling costs for the families to visit detainees in the detention camp every week.

“We can also find ways to help the wives to become entrepreneurs, to help them earn a living,” he said after receiving a memorandum from Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) calling for the abolition of the ISA yesterday. The GMI is a grouping of 83 non-governmental organisations.

Khalid said the move of GMI was in line with state government’s call for the abolition of the ISA and Official Secrets Act. GMI chairman Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said he hoped the state government would help the families of ISA detainees and push the Federal Government for the release of the detainees and abolition of the ISA.

Meanwhile, some 80 people gathered in front of the state secretariat building earlier to show dissatisfaction over the failure of the state government to deliver on promises made during the last general election. The group later handed over a memorandum containing 13 issues to the Mentri Besar’s office.

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