Xenophon expelled for tarnishing Malaysia’s image, says Immigration chief

SEPANG, Feb 16 — Malaysia is expelling Australian Senator Nick Xenophon because he has tarnished the country’s image, the Immigration Department said today.

Immigration director-general Datuk Alias Ahmad said Xenophon had made statements that humiliated the country, such as calling the Malaysian government “authoritarian” in handling the Bersih 3.0 rally for free and fair elections last April.

“He tarnished the image of the country,” Alias told The Malaysian Insider today.

He said that Xenophon (picture)was a “prohibited immigrant” who was barred from entering Malaysia under section 8(3) of the Immigration Act. The Australian politician is due to leave the budget carrier terminal in Sepang late tonight.

Alias stressed that Xenophon was not detained in a cell and that the senator was free to make telephone calls.

He said that other Australian MPs could come to Malaysia as long as they were not involved in any offence.

“We are a free country,” said Alias.

Xenophon observed the Bersih 3.0 rally last April and noted that the police had fired tear gas and chemical-laced water in what had been a largely peaceful protest.

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s chief of staff Ibrahim Yaacob said today that other Australian MPs including Mal Washer, John Williams and Steve Georganas, who were due to arrive here tomorrow, have cancelled their plans.

Ibrahim said earlier that Xenophon had flown in this morning to meet Anwar, as well as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz and Election Commission (EC) officials next week to discuss the country’s electoral system.

Australia’s Foreign Ministry has expressed its disappointment with Xenophon’s detention at the airport and demanded his release.

News of Xenophon’s detention has also been picked up by the Australian press.

“I am effectively a prisoner here,” he was quoted as saying in the Australian newspaper The Sunday Mail.

The paper reported the Australian lawmaker managed to slip through a phone call when he was left unattended in the interrogation room.

“I’m being held in an area with all these holding cells which are full of women. They have basically told me I am an enemy of the state. They are trying to get me on the next plane out of here and back home.

“I was even meeting members of the government, I mean, the whole situation is ridiculous, we are meant to be the closest of friends with Malaysia,” he told the paper.

“We are meant to be having a people swap deal on asylum seekers but so far it looks like the only person being swapped is me,” he was quoted as saying.

The paper also reported Xenophon saying he believed a recent piece he had written for Fairfax newspapers last month, which was critical of human rights here, may be a reason for the authorities to refuse him entry.

Xenophon came to Malaysia last April as an election observer after being invited by Anwar. 

The Australian senator was part of a seven-member international team of election observers who later met Nazri. 

Despite being invited by Anwar, the group insisted they were independent, claiming that their expenses for the fact-finding mission were borne by themselves or their respective governments.

Xenophon had said that fundamental concerns regarding Malaysia’s electoral roll, campaign period, media access and other issues pertaining to electoral reforms were raised with Nazri.

The senator was portrayed by local English daily the News Straits Times (NST) last year as anti-Islam in an article that falsely quoted him as calling Islam a “criminal organisation” during his 2009 speech in Australia’s Parliament. 

Xenophon later said he would sue the NST after the newspaper admitted its mistake.