Sue me in UK, banned Rewcastle dares Taib’s crony
Despite earlier assurances by Malaysian officials that she would be allowed to enter the country, Clare Rewcastle Brown was deported “on orders” from Sarawak Chief Minister’s office.
Alyaa Azhar, FMT
A former BBC journalist who was unable to defend herself in a libel case because she was barred from entering Sarawak claimed the Taib Mahmud-regime was out to “achieve a kangaroo court judgement” against her.
Clare Rewcastle Brown, who runs online investigative portal Sarawak Report and Radio Free Sarawak said: “It has been drawn to my attention that there is a general convention within the English court system to enforce a judgement by a Commonwealth Court.
“I believe they are seeking to abuse the system by achieving a kangaroo court judgement in Sarawak and seeking to enforce that in the UK.”
According to Rewcastle-Brown, a well-known politician from Taib’s Pesaka Bumiputera Betrsatu (PBB) party had filed a court action in Kuching against her as the “responsible editor” of Sarawak Report.
She said the aim of the suit was to obtain an out-of-jurisdiction-order for an alleged libel offence.
Commenting on the incident in a video, Rewcastle-Brown, who is married to former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s brother, said: “The fact that I am threatened with being turned away by the Immigration shows exactly how this country is run for the benefit of the sorts of people who are trying to sue me.
“I do not believe I have any chance of a fair trial here in Kuching.
“I think that those who are seeking to pursue me in the courts here should put their actions where their mouths are and have the guts to come and sue me in the UK, where I do believe I can get a free trial and an independent jury, ” she said.
Rewcastle Brown had arrived in Kuching from Singapore on Wednesday morning at 11.45 am to defend herself in a libel case brought to her by “a crony of the Taib government”.
According to Swiss based Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), which broke the news, Rewcastle Brown was deported from Kuching on orders from Chief Minister Taib’s office despite “earlier assurances” that she would be allowed to enter.
