A Malaysian transsexual fighting deportation from Britain will be punished for bringing "great shame" on the country, Malaysian authorities said according to reports today.

NONE Mohammed Fazdil Min Bahari, a pre-operative transsexual known as Fatine, married a British man in a civil ceremony but has been refused a permanent visa on technical grounds, according to reports in British newspapers.

Immigration Department director-general Abdul Rahman Othman said that once deported to Malaysia, Fatine could be banned from travelling overseas for at least two years.

"This depends on the severity of his offence in Britain," Abdul Rahman said according to the New Straits Times newspaper.

"The penalty imposed on Fatine may be more severe than the two-year passport issuance deferment as he has brought great shame upon us," he said.

The British High Commission in Malaysia was not immediately able to confirm Fatine's immigration status.

- AFP