Hindu activist Waythamoorthy barred from entering Sarawak

By Simon Peter

KUCHING, Jan 3, 2015: Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) activist Waythamoorthy Ponnusany was barred from entering Sarawak at the Kuching International Airport's Immigration checkpoint this morning.

He arrived on an AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur,  which landed at KIA at about 11.30am.

He was told by the Immigration officials to take the next available flight to Kuala Lumpur.

As at 12.45pm, he was still at the airport.

Moorthy was scheduled to present a paper at a Public Forum on Sedition Act 1948 this afternoon, representing Malaya.

Lina Soo, one of the organisers of the forum, said she met Moorthy at the airport briefly.

She said the Immigration officials allowed him to come out of the Immigration waiting room to meet her and another human rights activist Peter John Jaban.

"He told us that the Chief Minister's Office had instructed the Immigration Department to bar him from entering Sarawak," Lina said.

Other speakers at the public forum are lawyer Patrick Anek Uren, representing Sarawak, Amdi Sidek from Sabah and international law expert Robert Pei of Australia.

Other Malayans who have been banned from entering Sarawak are controversial lecturer Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, parliamentarians Tian Chua, Zuraida Kamaruddin, Teresa Kok and Rafizi Ramli.

On the Immigration blacklist include Perkasa chief and religious bigot Ibrahim Ali and Isma leaders.