Bourdon disputes minister’s claim
The French lawyer disputes Hishammudin Hussein’s accusations of a social visa violation.
(Free Malaysia Today) – Prominent French human rights lawyer William Bourdon is baffled to learn that his deportation is attributed to a violation of his social visa. According to him, he never had such a visa in the first place.
Home Minister Hishammudin Hussein yesterday said that Bourdon, 55, was deported last Friday because he violated his social visa by giving a speech in Penang and insisted that there was no hidden political agenda.
“I don’t know what the minister is talking about because I didn’t even have a social visa. So it is very strange that he is speaking of one,” Bourdon told FMT in an interview from Paris.
His fiancee, Lea Forrestier, confirmed this in a later text message and added that citizens of the European Union do not need a visa for travel into Malaysia.
She also said that the only documentation Bourdon had filled up was a small card on which he had clearly specified that he was in Malaysia for “professional purposes”.
“My personal interpretation is that there is political motivation behind my deportation. There was no basis for the decision. And this is a very sensitive case for Malaysia,” Bourdon said.
