Latest news with #FahmiReza
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: Travel ban? Yes and no!
WAS Fahmi Reza, Malaysian graphic artist and activist, banned from overseas travel? The answer should be as easy as yes or no. But according to the Immigration Department, the answer was, at least on June 6 as Fahmi found out at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport as he was about to board a flight to Singapore, yes and no depending on whether it is the department's English or Bahasa website. Being bilingual, Fahmi read both only to get different responses. How could one department have one system but two different responses, albeit in two languages? The English version said there was no travel ban, but the Bahasa copy asked him to contact the Immigration Department, suggesting there was a restriction of some sort. Mind bending. The department did try to explain the puzzle through a statement, but it appears to blame the system. Little wonder, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has directed the department to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. Looks like nothing gets done without the intervention of the prime minister. Or in extreme cases, unless a royal decree is issued. We cannot take the nation to a good place if the public service only springs into action when intervention is from the top. But that is the developing pattern we detect, when a blunder like this or road tragedies happen. We have a question for the Immigration Department's top management: Why didn't they spring into action the moment they detected the mess up? Frankly, the Immigration Department has a lot more to explain on Fahmi's overseas travel ban controversy than merely issuing a statement that appears to point the finger at the system. Now it has become a national issue, with the conversation being joined by non-governmental organisations and even former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad. As an aside, there was irony at work in the case of Dzulkifli. It was MACC that requested the travel ban. All are agreed on one point: no agency should have unchecked power to restrict a person's freedom of movement. Or to put it differently, every agency that is given the power to do so — we can't deny our laws do empower agencies to do so — must direct itself properly in law. This is an old public law principle expounded in the seminal English case of Wednesbury, which is part of our common law. Lord Greene there was speaking of the exercise of discretion, but if it applies to good judgment it must apply more so to the exercise of power. Make no mistake. We are not saying freedom of movement or speech is absolute. There isn't a country in the world where either is absolute. But what is called for is transparent due process. Our government agencies could do better when it comes to due process. The people, including Fahmi, must understand that there isn't absolute freedom. Similarly, our agencies must know that there isn't such a thing as unchecked power. Power granted by the law must be exercised properly in law.
Daily Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
Fahmi Reza issues letter of demand over ‘travel ban'
Published on: Saturday, June 14, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jun 14, 2025 By: FMT Reporters Text Size: Graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza was stopped at KLIA Terminal 2 on June 7 while trying to board a flight to Singapore. (Fahmi Reza pic) PETALING JAYA: Activist and graphic artist Fahmi Reza has issued a letter of demand to the authorities after being prevented from travelling abroad recently, despite no official travel ban in place. The letter, dated June 13 and shared on Fahmi's social media pages, was addressed to Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain, immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban, and home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. Advertisement According to his lawyer, Yohendra Nadarajan, Fahmi was stopped at KLIA Terminal 2 on June 7 while trying to board a flight to Singapore. Immigration officials at the airport had reportedly told Fahmi to check with Bukit Aman on the travel restriction. The next day, Razarudin was reported as saying there was no travel ban on Fahmi but that his name had been placed on an 'internal movement monitoring list for investigation purposes'. Yohendra said that there is no basis under the law for Fahmi to be added to such a list, adding that Fahmi had previously been told, in 2022 when renewing his passport, that his name had already been removed from any such list. He added that checks on the immigration department's website showed conflicting information, with the Bahasa Melayu version stating he was restricted, but the English version stating he was not. For the record, the department has since acknowledged the discrepancy and said it was conducting a technical review. 'No authority has taken responsibility for the violation of our client's rights on June 7,' Yohendra said. He added that Fahmi is demanding the removal of his name from all monitoring lists, the lifting of any travel restrictions, and compensation, with the amount to be determined. 'If no response is received within seven days from the date of this letter, we will assume the authorities have chosen to maintain our client's name on the listing and a travel restriction is still in effect,' he said. FMT has reached out to Razarudin, Zakaria and Saifuddin for comment. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Free Malaysia Today
7 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Discrepancies in online travel status portal caused by updates, says immigration DG
Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said although Fahmi Reza is free to travel internationally, the entry restrictions into Sabah remain in effect as directed by the state authorities. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The immigration department says that discrepancies between the Malay and English language versions of its online travel status portal are due to updates being made to the English version. Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said the department is conducting a technical review to ensure that both versions of the portal display accurate and consistent information. 'We acknowledge the confusion caused by differences between the Malay and English versions of the travel status system. 'The English portal is undergoing updates and has been temporarily closed for maintenance,' he said in a statement. The clarification follows a Facebook post by graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza yesterday highlighting inconsistencies in his travel status when checking both versions of the portal. Zakaria said that while the immigration department's English site stated there were no travel restrictions imposed on him, the Malay version said he should refer to the nearest immigration department office. Fahmi, known for his politically charged illustrations, was stopped at KLIA Terminal 2 on June 6 while trying to board a flight to Singapore to attend a punk rock concert. He claimed an immigration officer informed him that Bukit Aman had denied him clearance to travel overseas. Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain then clarified that the police did not issue a travel ban against Fahmi. He said the incident was the result of a 'misunderstanding' during a border check. Zakaria said no international travel restrictions were placed on Fahmi. However, he said, entry restrictions into Sabah remain in effect as directed by the state authorities. Fahmi was denied entry into Sabah on May 29. He said he was immediately flown back to Kuala Lumpur after that. A notice issued by the Sabah immigration department at Kota Kinabalu International Airport cited Section 65(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 as the legal basis for the entry restriction. Earlier this year, Fahmi was arrested by Sabah police to assist in an investigation into one of his satirical works. He was investigated under the Sedition Act for allegedly insulting the royal institution.
Free Malaysia Today
7 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Fahmi Reza issues letter of demand over ‘travel ban'
Graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza was stopped at KLIA Terminal 2 on June 7 while trying to board a flight to Singapore. (Fahmi Reza pic) PETALING JAYA : Activist and graphic artist Fahmi Reza has issued a letter of demand to the authorities after being prevented from travelling abroad recently, despite no official travel ban in place. The letter, dated June 13 and shared on Fahmi's social media pages, was addressed to Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain, immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban, and home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. According to his lawyer, Yohendra Nadarajan, Fahmi was stopped at KLIA Terminal 2 on June 7 while trying to board a flight to Singapore. Immigration officials at the airport had reportedly told Fahmi to check with Bukit Aman on the travel restriction. The next day, Razarudin was reported as saying there was no travel ban on Fahmi but that his name had been placed on an 'internal movement monitoring list for investigation purposes'. Yohendra said that there is no basis under the law for Fahmi to be added to such a list, adding that Fahmi had previously been told, in 2022 when renewing his passport, that his name had already been removed from any such list. He added that checks on the immigration department's website showed conflicting information, with the Bahasa Melayu version stating he was restricted, but the English version stating he was not. For the record, the department has since acknowledged the discrepancy and said it was conducting a technical review. 'No authority has taken responsibility for the violation of our client's rights on June 7,' Yohendra said. He added that Fahmi is demanding the removal of his name from all monitoring lists, the lifting of any travel restrictions, and compensation, with the amount to be determined. 'If no response is received within seven days from the date of this letter, we will assume the authorities have chosen to maintain our client's name on the listing and a travel restriction is still in effect,' he said. FMT has reached out to Razarudin, Zakaria and Saifuddin for comment.
Malay Mail
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Immigration replies Fahmi Reza's query on different results on their website
KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — Following graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza's flagging of two different online results on whether he faces any ban from overseas travel, Immigration Department of Malaysia issued a statement to the media today. Fahmi yesterday posted a video of his travel status checks on Immigration's website, with the website's Malay version directing him to refer to the nearest Immigration office while the English version stated 'No restriction'. 'This arose as the English version of the portal is in the process of being updated. Therefore, the English version of the portal has been closed temporarily for that purpose of updating,' Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said in a brief statement. Without directly naming Fahmi, the statement appeared to confirm there is currently no overseas travel ban on him.
