RTM's outrage over torture pics misses the point

RTM in its TV1 World News in Malay last night (10.30 pm) was full of bluster and indignation (and quite rightly so) about the US abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners.

The bulletin spent several minutes describing the abuse and the strong reactions against this terrible scandal.

But there was no mention and attempt to analyse the conditions that might have contributed to this outrage. The issue of so-called "preventive detention" - detention without trial - was hardly discussed.

Preventive detention violates natural justice, which assumes that a person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Preventive detention removes safeguards such as recourse to an independent court and defence lawyers, creating the atmosphere for torture and abuse to flourish. It pulls a veil of darkness down over the whole process and absolves captors from any sense of transparency and accountability.

Most of the 8,000-odd prisoners in Iraq are so-called "security detainees" - detained without trial. They are thus easy targets for torture and abuse.

The reluctance to condemn preventive detention is not surprising as this is something Malaysia also practises under the ISA.

Will RTM carry out investigative reporting into the treatment of remand prisoners and ISA detainees in Malaysia? Will it express the same kind of outrage against any abuse of Malaysian detainees?