KUCHING, Sept 30 2026: Environmental organisation Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) president Meenakshi Raman was barred from entering Sarawak when she arrived at Miri Airport yesterday afternoon.
In video posted on Tik Tok, she said the denial of her entry was totally unacceptable.
She said she was not given any reason when she was told that her entry into Sarawak was denied by the Immigration officer manning the counter.
"If I have known that I would be barred, I would not come to Sarawak," she said.
She arrived at Miri Airport on a 2.40pm flight and was stopped by a state Immigration officer after landing about 4.50pm.
In a statement posted on its Facebook, SAM secretary Mageswari Sangaralingam strongly condemns the denial of entry into Miri of Meenakshi.
She said at the immigration counter, Meena’s identity card was taken and she was asked whether she was involved in any case.
"Approximately 15 minutes later, immigration officers informed her that a report had been lodged against her on May 21 2025. She was then asked whether she had received any letter from the Sarawak authorities.
"Meena had received no such letter, notice, explanation or prior indication that she had been prohibited from entering Sarawak.
"Had she been informed of any such restriction, she would not have boarded the flight," she said.
Mageswari added that this is an unacceptable and profoundly disturbing exercise of state power, saying that as a Malaysian citizen and president of one of the country’s oldest environmental organisations, Meena was denied entry without being informed of the reasons for the decision or afforded an opportunity to respond, raising serious concerns regarding procedural fairness.
"This is particularly alarming when Meena was permitted to enter Sarawak as recently as 2024," she noted,
She added that SAM has worked in Sarawak for decades and maintains an office in Marudi, saying that its work is rooted in supporting grassroots communities, particularly indigenous peoples, farmers and fishers to defend their territories, livelihoods and environment from destructive development. SAM’s Marudi office is responsible for the organisation’s work on indigenous community issues in Sarawak.
"Every citizen has a right to freedom of movement. While Sarawak has powers relating to entry from other parts of Malaysia, such power is not a licence for arbitrary exclusion," she moaned.
She said SAM demanded that the Sarawak government and the relevant immigration authorities immediately state the precise legal basis for barring Meena from Sarawak; disclose the nature, source and basis of the barring; explain why she was not notified in advance about this ban; and immediately revoke any restriction imposed against her.
Mageswari urged he federal government not to remain silent, stating that the arbitrary exclusion of environmental and human-rights defenders from a part of their own country strikes at democratic accountability, civic space and the public’s right to speak out on environmental destruction and the rights of affected communities.
"Activists must be able to undertake legitimate public interest work without any intimidation and harassment," she said.
Mageswari Sangaralingam
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