Now immigration stops Ambiga at airport

Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan has become the latest person to be held up by immigration officers while leaving the country.

"I was stopped at the immigration tonight for 10 minutes or so. I could not go through the auto-gate. (This is) clear harassment of Bersih steering committee members.

"Immigration officers could not give me an explanation why I was stopped," Ambiga said in a text message to Malaysiakini last night.

She was briefly stopped at the KL International Airport last night, as she was leaving for Australia.

Ambiga, the fifth Bersih steering committee member to be stopped by immigration officers, while travelling overseas, said Bersih would consider taking the matter up with the Home Ministry.

"Yes, we will certainly discuss this. They should disclose the list of people they have put on the watch list," she said.

Last Thursday, Bersih steering committee member Andrew Khoo was also brieflystopped by immigration officers while on his way to Bangkok.

Bersih steering committee members Maria Chin Abdullah, Yeo Yang Poh (left) and Wong Chin Huat too have had similar experiences in September.

In a text message to Malaysiakini yesterday, Khoo said he was stopped again when returning from Bangkok to Malaysia.

"Stopped again on my way back from Bangkok on Saturday and stopped again on my way out to Australia last night," he said.

While their freedom of movement has not been suspended, Bersih leaders are crying harassment for being singled out by the immigration authorities for no apparent reason.