ISA detainee misses his three children

via Star 15/12

TAIPING: The first thing Hindraf legal adviser M. Manoharan asked his wife when she visited him at the Kamunting detention camp here yesterday was about his three children.

V.N.S. Pushpaneela, 46, said Manoharan missed the two boys, aged eight and 10, and girl, also 10, because he had not seen them for two weeks.

“He asked why I did not bring the children along,” she said after she was allowed to see Manoharan, 46, for 45 minutes.

Concerned wife: Pushpaneela answering questions from newsmen who surrounded her at the gates of the Kamunting detention camp in Taiping on Friday. On her left is Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran.

She added that her husband had not seen the children because they were away visiting their cousins in Klang during the school holidays.

On Thursday, Manoharan and four others – lawyers V. Ganabatirau, P. Uthayakumar and R. Kenghadharan and Hindraf coordinator T. Vasanthakumar – were detained for two years under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Pushpaneela said she was shocked to find out that her husband had been detained because he was only fighting for the rights of the Indian community.

“He did not do anything wrong,” she said.

She added that her children were very disturbed when they heard that their father would be detained for two years.

On her visit, Pushpaneela said her husband looked fine and he met the other detainees for breakfast.

“He looks healthy and went for a jog this morning,” she said.

She added that Manoharan was sent to Kamunting at midnight after he was arrested on Thursday afternoon.

Pushpaneela said the camp authorities allowed her to visit Manoharan once a week, adding that the families of the other four detainees were also there for a visit.