‘In the dark’ IGP: Who said that?

Although the Immigration Department boss says his officers were stopping Bersih leaders at airports based on a list from the police, the police chief however appears clueless about this.

KUALA LUMPUR: Immigration Department director-general Alias Ahmad had confirmed that his officers were stopping certain travellers at airports based on a list furnished by the Bukit Aman police headquarters.

But when the question of a police list was posed to Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar today, the latter seemed to be in the dark.

“Who said that? Who?” he asked, visibly puzzled.

“Can you confirm that with the Immigration [Department]?” he added. “[Is that claim] from the right channels or hearsay?” he was quoted as saying.

Ismail had initially said that the Immigration Department had the right to stop travellers for checks when quizzed on such incidents involving several Bersih leaders.

“It is the right and process of the Immigration to stop [travellers],” he said.

Yesterday, FMT had obtained a confirmation from Alias regarding the list, after Bersih co-chaiperson S Ambiga claimed that she was stopped for no reason.

Ambiga, who was at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to board a flight to Australia, said she was held at the auto-gate for about 10 minutes on Tuesday night.

The former Bar Council president claimed that it was an act of harassment.

This morning, two other Bersih steering committee members K Arumugam and Toh Kin Woon were stopped at the LCCT and KLIA airports respectively.

Prior to Ambiga, other Bersih leaders who suffered similar treatment were Maria Chin Abdullah, Wong Chin Huat, Yeo Yang Poh and Andrew Khoo.