Bar Council human rights committee co-chairperson Andrew Khoo was denied entry into Hanoi, Vietnam today, shortly after landing.

Khoo (below) said he was escorted back onto the plane he arrived on and was not given a reason why he was denied entry. 

He said that he was told informed of this by when he was sent to the airport's immigration office after his passport was stamped.

"People busily ran around filing forms, making phone calls and photocopying my passport several time.

"After about 20 minutes I was informed that I was denied entry into Vietnam, my entry stamp was cancelled and I was escorted back on to the same Malaysian Airlines MH753 plane that brought me here," he said in a Facebook post.

He was also issued a "standard letter", which states that he is barred according to Article 8 of the Ordinance of Entry, Exit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam.

Natinal security

The Ordinance states that one can be denied an entry visa for making a false declaration or forging travel documents, breacing Vietnamese laws in previous entries or if one is a carrier or infected with an epidemic disease.

A foreigner can also be barred "for the reasons of protecting national security" or other "special reasons" decided by the minister of public security.

Khoo could not be reached for comment.

Malaysiakini has contacted the Vietnamese embassy in Kuala Lumpur on the matter and is awaiting a reply.

Khoo was travelling to Hanoi to attend a two-day workshop starting tomorrow to present a paper on peace and security at the invitation of the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation.

He also worked with the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs for the United Nation’s Human Rights Council Universal Period Review process (Comango).