Immigration: Sarawak government not selective over entry ban

KUCHING: The Sarawak government does not practise double standards when imposing entry ban to the state.  

According to state Immigration director Ken Leben, even foreigners can be banned from entering Sarawak if they are classified as “undesirable” persons.

He added that this did not apply to Sarawakians.  

On the reasons behind the classification of individuals as "undesirable", Leben said it was not limited to "racial issues" or "extreme practices".

"Those who are blacklisted will find out about their status upon arriving at our counter,” he said here on Thursday.

On whether the ban list could be made public, Leben said this was not possible. 

"They can appeal against the ban, but it ultimately depends on the state authorities," he said, stressing that the ban was not exclusively against Opposition lawmakers.

He also said that when an individual gets deported from the state, the airline was responsible for the flight back.

"Most of them buy two-way tickets so we can compel the airline to send them back in the next immediate flight. If it is one-way, then the airline would pay for the return," Leben said.  

Recently, Opposition lawmaker Teo Nie Ching was barred from entering Sarawak. The DAP’s Kulai MP was deported to Kuala Lumpur shortly after arriving at the Bintulu airport.  

Source :  The Star Online Nation Highlights http://ift.tt/1TSCWjP