Immigration Department today refuted an allegation that Sydney-based anti-Lynas campaigner Natalie Lowrey was ill-treated while waiting for deportation.
Its director Datuk Aloyah Mamat in a statement said Lowrey was well taken care of while being processed for deportation to Bali, Indonesia.
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) and Himpunan Hijau said that Lowrey was mistreated during her 13-hour detention at Kuala Lumpur International Airport upon arrival on August 31.
The groups said Lowrey was not given any food or water until the morning of September 1.
The consular officer of New Zealand High Commission had also raised the concern with the immigration department and was informed that Lowrey would be given water soon as they were busy processing her deportation at the time.
Aloyah denied the allegation and said Lowrey was well taken care of while under detention.
She said Lowrey, who arrived here on August 31, was denied entry after checks at the klia2 showed she has been blacklisted under Section 8 of Immigration Act 1959/63, which classified Lowrey as an “undesirable immigrant”.
![](http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/assets/uploads/articles/natalie_lowrey_010914.jpg)
No specific reason was given as to why the section was used against her. Under the section, a person can be denied entry without being given any specific reason.
She said that initially, Lowrey had refused to be deported to Bali, Indonesia. Instead, she wanted to be sent to Sydney, Australia.
Aloyah said the department could not entertain her request because based on the international procedure, she had to be deported to the airport where she has taken off from.
She said during her departure to Bali, all her meals and flight were provided by AirAsia.
Two months ago, Lowrey was arrested along with 15 other locals over a peaceful protest demanding Lynas to close down its operations in Kuantan.
She was released six days later, but the local activists were charged and are now facing trial.
The two groups said that the action of Putrajaya in deporting Lowrey painted the country in a bad light.
They also called on Putrajaya to take out Lowrey's name from the blacklist and drop the charges against the 15 activists. –TMI
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.