Lowrey denied water, legal aid upon detention

Environmental activist Lowrey treated badly by immigration officials upon detention at KLIA last night.

PETALING JAYA: Suaram and Himpunan Hijau have registered their unhappiness that Natalie Lowrey was denied water and legal aid for 13 hours when she was detained at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport last night.

In a joint statement today, executive director of Suaram Yap Swee Seng and chairperson of Himpunan Hijau Wong Tack confirmed this was so despite Lowrey making repeated requests to immigration officers for water.

They said that even the consular officer of the New Zealand High Commission had intervened on Lowrey’s behalf and was told by immigration they were busy processing her deportation and that she would get water “soon”.

“Obviously this is a lie as the fact was that Natalie was only given water to drink this morning,” the statement read.

The two NGOs also said they were appalled Lowrey was denied her right to legal representation the entire time she was detained.

They cited the blatant “abuse of power, inhuman and ill-treatment of Natalie Lowrey by the immigration department” and said, “Such treatment is unjustified and unwarranted and tainted with clear intent of bad faith to punish Natalie Lowrey.”

Lowrey was stopped by immigration department officials at KLIA on grounds she was blacklisted from entering Malaysia.

She was however not informed of the reason for her being blacklisted and was deported back to Bali where she flew in from.

Lowrey is the Australia-based environmental justice activist that has been campaigning for the closure of Australian company, Lynas Corporation Ltd’s rare earth plant in Kuantan, Pahang.

Accusing the government of putting Malaysia in a bad light internationally, Suaram and Himpunan Hijau said, “…our government is more interested in protecting the Australian company, Lynas Corporation Ltd rather than the interests and the health of its own people in Kuantan.

They also reiterated their call to the government to remove Lowrey’s name from the blacklist as well as drop all charges against the 15 who protested against Lynas last June.

Also among their demands was that the government refrain from granting a permanent operating licence to the Lynas rare earth plant.