CHENNAI: MDMK general secretary Vaiko was denied entry into Malaysia on Friday as he was detained at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport for his alleged links with the now defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which is still banned in several parts of the world.
Immigration officials at the Kuala Lumpur airport cited Mr Vaiko’s name figuring “in the list of dangerous persons posing threat to the country” as the reason for his detention. Though there was no official information or report from the Malaysian Government, the MDMK, in a press release here on Friday, said Mr Vaiko is being deported to India from Malaysia late on Friday night.
Mr Vaiko, along with his secretary Arunagiri, landed in Kuala Lumpur on Friday morning to attend the marriage reception of Penang state’s deputy chief minister P.Ramasamy on Saturday. However, he was stopped at the immigration counter after his name showed in the list of dangerous persons posing threat to Malaysia.
The MDMK leader was questioned for hours on his alleged links with LTTE and immigration officials took possession of his passport, the party release claimed here.
Mr Vaiko, who possessed a visa issued by the Malaysian Embassy in India, was informed about the ban on his entry into the country only after he landed in Kuala Lumpur.
"They asked me a few questions about the LTTE. When they told me that some cases are pending against me in Sri Lanka, I denied the allegations and told them that I am from India. Even after I showed my valid passport, they refused to accept," the party said, quoting Mr Vaiko.
It also said even the intervention of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng failed to convince the immigration officials, who made it clear that they had directions from Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia regarding the issue.
