Patrick Lee | September 29, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Human rights activist Haris Ibrahim has been denied entry into Sarawak and is currently awaiting deportation.
Haris, the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) president, said that he was detained by Sarawak immigration authorites after landing at the Kuching International Airport at about 5.30pm today.
“The order of notification is the same as the one in April (this year). (But) I haven’t seen any papers (about this deportation) yet,” he told FMT through a telephone conversation.
He will be sent back to KLIA on a 7.30pm flight.
“They asked me to pay for the air fare but I told them to ask (Sarawak CM) Taib Mahmud for it,” he said.
Haris also said that his trip to Kuching today was to host an MCLM event known as the Rakyat Reform Agenda (RARA).
He added that MCLM had held similar RARA events in both Tawau and Kota Kinabalu prior to Kuching.
Haris was barred from entering the state in April this year during the Sarawak state election. At the time, it was believed that he was stopped from entering Sarawak under Section 65 of the Immigration Act 1959/1963.
Under the Malaysia Agreement, Sarawak has the power to bar anyone from entering the state, including persons from Peninsular Malaysia.
#1 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 29 September 2011 - 8:25 pm
Re Sabah & Sarawak 20/18 points agreement when joiing Malaysia – Point 6 on Immigration says “Control over immigration into any part of Malaysia from outside should rest with the Central Government but entry into Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) should also require the approval of the State Government. The Federal Government should not be able to veto the entry of persons into Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) for State Government purposes except on strictly security grounds. Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah) should have unfettered control over the movements of persons other than those in Federal Government employ from other parts of Malaysia Borneo (Sarawak & Sabah)”. This sounds like autonomous country but one that according to point 7, “there should be no right to secede from the Federation”.
Since both Sabah & Sarawak has autonomous immigration control somehow “Projek IC or M” (they call it) could bring allegedly more than 1.7 million foreigners to Sabah to extent more than locals there but it didn’t happen in Sarawak. Does this mean Sarawak’s CMs were execptionally smart or independent relative to Sabah to prevent such encroachments?
#2 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 29 September 2011 - 9:19 pm
It is fully in compliance with the 1Malaysia concept.
#3 by limkamput on Thursday, 29 September 2011 - 9:45 pm
Sage, this has nothing to do 20/18 points agreement. This is blatant abuse of power by this renegade regime now grasping its last breath. There is nothing smart about Sarawak. It is just that the natives of Sarawak slept longer than those in Sabah. In Sabah, the natives asserted their position and proved it to the Malay/Muslim centric federal government that the Christian natives are in position to form the state government as proven by the first PBS government led by Joseph Pairin. That explained the massive influx of Muslim migrants into Sabah but not Sarawak. But don’t under-estimate the federalisation/Malay-nisation of Sarawak civil service. Today, the state civil service is almost like those in Peninsula Malaysia. Check it out.
#4 by Jong on Thursday, 29 September 2011 - 11:41 pm
We open our doors to foreigners and grant them automatic PR towards citizenship but view our fellow Malaysians eg Haris Ibrahim, a threat to national security? Is this ..1Malaysia Najib?
#5 by boh-liao on Friday, 30 September 2011 - 12:08 am
A wonderful dictatorial practice in d best democracy/demoncrazy in d world
A citizen NO GO, but illegal immigrants NO problemo, can go, Y like dis 1
#6 by yhsiew on Friday, 30 September 2011 - 12:16 am
Taib Mahmud is so scared of Human rights activists; then he must have something to hide.
#7 by Loh on Friday, 30 September 2011 - 2:04 am
The NEWMalays vote for BN to stay and that is 1Malaysia.
#8 by waterfrontcoolie on Friday, 30 September 2011 - 6:16 am
Amidst all such foolish actions of this Gomen, it is nice to read that Malaysia has climbed more than a few notches to 31st most competitive in IT Industry: meaning Penang as the main centre is doing the nation proud again! 3 cheers for LGE and the State leadership!
#9 by boh-liao on Friday, 30 September 2011 - 8:44 am
With Haris in S’wak, Pek Moh has hairy nightmare, beh kun lah
#10 by sheriff singh on Friday, 30 September 2011 - 9:46 am
So PR still want to honour, comply and maintain the 20 and18 points agreements with Sabah and Sarawak when it takes over Putridjaya?
#11 by Cinapek on Friday, 30 September 2011 - 10:56 am
Hmmm?? One country, two systems. The late Deng Xiao Peng must have learned this from Malaysia when he implemented this system for HK after the handover in 1997. While China and HK manage this system to mutual benefits, vested interest in West Malaysia and Sarawak twisted it for their personal benefit.
Najib recently declared he will make Malaysia “the best democracy” in the world. So much for his declaration. Some tin pot BN dictator in Sarawak shot him down nilly-willy.
When Sarawak negotiated this condition for their entry into Malaysia, amongst others, I believe it was to protect any commercial exploitation of less business savvy E. Malaysians by their more sophisticated west Malaysian brethens. After nearly 5 decades, this cannot hold true anymore and we must remove such barriers to be truly one nation. It still rankles me to recall when I landed in Bintulu many years ago on a flight to Kuching from Sabah when a foreigner was processed through without any fuss while I was given a third degree grilling as to the purpose of my visit, where I was staying and who was I meeting etc.etc. Even the proof of a telex from my Kuching customer did not ease my entry woes. In frustration, I commented that Sarawak treats foreigners better than fellow Malaysians. Needless to say, that did not go down well with the Immigration officer. But he finally let me through as he was not able to find any good reason to stop me.
#12 by Taikohtai on Friday, 30 September 2011 - 11:00 am
Best democracy in the world! Say what, Najib??
#13 by wanderer on Friday, 30 September 2011 - 1:16 pm
Malaysia practice Vibriant Democracy…Nagis tong Rosak, go and suck egg!
#14 by mauriyaII on Friday, 30 September 2011 - 7:15 pm
Pek Moh does not want Haris or anybody who champions a fair and clean system of governance to ALL Anak Bangsa Malaysia. All dictators are the same everywhere. They will cling on to power as long as they can or until the people (the Sarawakians) decide enough is enough and throw this slimeball in the gutter where he belongs. Malaysia is Animal Farm and the Orwelian big brother system in practice.
#15 by negarawan on Saturday, 1 October 2011 - 8:03 am
Hey Najip, was it supposed to be “best democracy” or “PekMohcrazy” ?
#16 by tak tahan on Saturday, 1 October 2011 - 10:01 pm
Best democracy?Some more in the world?Beh paiseh meh?Wakakakakakakakakakakakakkakakakakkakakakakakakakakakakkakkakakakkakakakkakakakakakakaka
#17 by Mike Tee on Sunday, 2 October 2011 - 6:12 pm
It is a disgrace and insult to the mentality of all Malaysian, Malaysian citizen cannot travel to another part of Malaysia. Look like Philipinoes and Indonesian have more right to travel to Sabah & Sarawak and live there under project IC/M. Wake up and time to say no to these facist policies and rules.