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WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HARASSMENT OF BERSIH LEADERS AT AIRPORTS?
Seven Bersih leaders have claimed harassment:
S Ambiga, Andrew Khoo, Maria Chin Abdullah, Yeo Yang Poh,Wong Chin Huat, K Arumugam and Toh Kin Woon.
The Police say, “Talk to Immigration.” Immigration says, “Ask the Police.”
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Free Malaysia Today
‘In the dark’ IGP: Who said that?
Although the Immigration Department boss says his officers were stopping Bersih leaders at airports based on a list from the police, the police chief however appears clueless about this.
KUALA LUMPUR: Immigration Department director-general Alias Ahmad had confirmed that his officers were stopping certain travellers at airports based on a list furnished by the Bukit Aman police headquarters.
But when the question of a police list was posed to Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar today, the latter seemed to be in the dark.
“Who said that? Who?” he asked, visibly puzzled.
“Can you confirm that with the Immigration [Department]?” he added. “[Is that claim] from the right channels or hearsay?” he was quoted as saying.
Ismail had initially said that the Immigration Department had the right to stop travellers for checks when quizzed on such incidents involving several Bersih leaders.
“It is the right and process of the Immigration to stop [travellers],” he said.
Yesterday, FMT had obtained a confirmation from Alias regarding the list, after Bersih co-chaiperson S Ambiga claimed that she was stopped for no reason.
In the dark’ IGP: Who said that?
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Immigration Department director-general, Alias Ahmad, told FMT
“To me this is not harassment,” when alluding to Ambiga’s allegation that she and other Bersih leaders have been harassed at airports.
Free Malaysia Today
Bersih leaders stopped on police order
The names of Bersih leaders are on the police list, says the Immigration Department.
PETALING JAYA: The Immigration Department was acting on the directive of the police when it stopped Bersih leaders at the airports as they were departing or re-entering the country.
According to the department, the Bukit Aman police headquarters has a list of names of several Bersih leaders.
“We’re following SOP [Standard Operating Procedure]. If the name (given to us) is in our system, then we need to check the entry and exit of that person,” the department’s director-general Alias Ahmad told FMT.
He said that in the case of Bersih 2.0 co-chairman S Ambiga, the department followed the police directive which stated that “every transaction of this person needs to be reported to the Special Branch officers attached to the airport”.
“So when we found her name on the list, we called the police, and they came and took over from us to interview her. That was it. We didn’t arrest or detain her,” he said.
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Bersih leaders stopped on police order
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Malaysiakini
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Police have passed the buck over to the Immigration Department to explain the “police record” on Bersih leaders who have been stopped at airports when travelling overseas over the past month.
Inspector-general of police Ismail Omar, when questioned on the matter at Bukit Aman this morning, told reporters to seek clarification with Immigration.
“Can you confirm what they (Bersih leaders) have claimed with Immigration?
“(The media reports) are from the right channels or just rumours?” he in turned asked reporters, without providing further details on the issue.
Ask Immigration Dept over Bersih ‘harassment’, says IGP
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Free Malaysia Today
Two more Bersih leaders stopped at airports
This time around steering committee members K Arumugam and Toh Kin Woon were delayed at the LCCT and KLIA airports respectively.
PETALING JAYA: Two more Bersih leaders were stopped at airports this morning while attempting to board international flights.
K Arumugam and Toh Kin Woon, both Bersih 2.0 steering committee members, said they were delayed for about 10 minutes at the immigration check point.
“This morning I was stopped at the LCCT terminal for about 10 minutes at the immigration counter,” read an SMS from Arumugam to the Bersih secretariat.
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Meanwhile, Toh Kin Woon said he was subjected to unusually long and unnecessary checks at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
“The lady at the counter did not clear me and needed to consult a more senior officer who took close to 10 minutes to check and finally clear me,” he told FMT.
Toh, who was heading to Bangkok for a holiday, said he was unsure if it was considered “harassment”, but said: “It is definitely strange and never happened before”.
Two more Bersih leaders stopped at airports
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Free Malaysia Today
Stopped at KLIA: Ambiga cries harassment
The Bersih leader was stopped for about 10 minutes by immigration officers without giving any reason.
PETALING JAYA: Much to her chagrin, Bersih co-chairperson was stopped by Immigration Department officers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport last night.
The former Bar Council president told FMT that she was stopped at the auto-gate for about 10 minutes.
And when she questioned their reason for doing so, Ambiga, who was to board a flight to Australia, said the officers could not provide an answer.
The Bersih leader was convinced that it was nothing short of deliberate harassment on the part of the authorities.
Stopped at KLIA: Ambiga cries harassment
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why is the interruption to travel conducted on anyone by the department of immigration and its officers unlawful or harassment? The department through its officers have wide ranging powers to stop, search, detain, prevent and to do whatever in their opinion is necessary where they believe a breach may or is about to be committed under the immigration act. They may do it for a variety of reasons and thats clearly not understood by the likes of Ambiga Sreenivasan, a woman who accepts the much acclaimed title of “a great or brilliant lawyer”. Clearly by her complaints she is far from deserving of such a title. Ambiga runs with hares and hunts with the hounds.
“why is the interruption to travel conducted on anyone by the department of immigration and its officers unlawful or harassment?”
The fact that not only Ambiga but others among the Bersih leadership have been subjected to such an experience is the issue. Even if “wide ranging powers” are given, what are Ambiga and others SUSPECTED of?