Kamunting Detention Centre
| Location | Kamunting, Perak, Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 4°54′33″N 100°44′13″E / 4.90917°N 100.73694°E |
| Status | Active |
| Security class | Supermax |
| Managed by | Kementerian Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (Ministry of Home Affairs) |
| Director | Dato' Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi |
Kamunting Detention Centre (Malay: Kem Tahanan Perlindungan Kamunting) is a prison camp located in Kamunting, near the town of Taiping, Perak, in Malaysia. The prison is used by the government to detain and interrogate persons arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA). The detention is also known as Malaysia's Supermax prison or Maximum security prison. It is alleged that this is the site where the Malaysian authorities would hold up political prisoners. Among notable events which prompted widespread use of the ISA were Operation Lalang in 1987 and the years during the Reformasi movement, beginning 1999. The centre has also been used to detain other groups of people declared by the government to be a threat to national security such as terrorists and cults. Some notable groups detained in Kamunting includes the Al-Arqam cult and the Al-Ma'unah terrorist group.
Notable ex-detainees
- James Wong - Federal opposition leader from Sarawak in 1974
- Anwar Ibrahim - Malaysia's former Deputy Prime Minister.
- Lim Kit Siang - Opposition leader
- Jeffrey Kitingan - Sabah politician
- Karpal Singh - Opposition leader
- Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj - Parti Sosialis Malaysia leader
- Lim Guan Eng - current Chief Minister of Penang
- Mohamad Sabu - Opposition politician
- Teresa Kok - Opposition politician