Bersih 2.0 queries Sarawak for barring Ambiga’s visit
By Shawan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — The Sarawak state government must explain why Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan was denied entry into the state this morning, a local election observer group said today.
The Coalition for Fair and Free Elections (Bersih 2.0) chairman was barred from entering Sarawak this morning and was held up at Kuching airport.
No reasons were given as to why she was barred from entering the hornbill state where she was to observe tomorrow’s polling day.
She joins a list of activists including Steven Ng, Cynthia Gabriel, Wong Chin Huat, Johan Tan and Subang PKR MP Sivarasa Rasiah, who have been denied entry to the state over the past month. Sarawak and Sabah are allowed to deny entry even to Malaysians under the agreement to form Malaysia in 1963 with Malaya and Singapore.
“Bersih 2.0 demands the Sarawak state authorities show reasons why these human rights activists have been denied entry. If the state authority is unable to do so, then it should immediately lift the ban on these activists.
“This is tantamount to a violation of the freedom of movement and can only be viewed as a blatant abused by the Sarawak Immigration Department and the state authorities to stifle dissent,” said Bersih 2.0 steering committee members Maria Chin Abdullah and Toh Kin Woon in a joint statement today.
They explained that the purpose of Ambiga’s trip to Sarawak was to “observe the state election” and to remind the state government and the Election Commission (EC) of the necessity to ensure a free and fair election was carried out.
