Parti Sosialis Malaysia deputy secretary-general KS Bawani has been denied entry to Kuching, Sarawak, and will be deported back to Kuala Lumpur at 2.10pm this afternoon.

When contacted, Bawani said she was traveling to Kuching to attend a friend’s wedding tonight, and earlier landed at the airport at about 11am.

She said she was stopped at the Immigration counter and was informed of a purported entry ban from the Sarawak state government.

Several officers then took her to their office at the airport holding area.

“The (Immigration) officers do not seem to know what’s going on. They are only acting on instructions from above.

“One Immigration deputy director told me that they did not know the reasons for the instruction (to deny entry) and I would have to check with Putrajaya,” she said.

Bawani, however, said that she has insisted for the Immigration office at Kuching airport to issue her with a formal letter stating that her deportation was under orders of the Sarawak state government.

She also confirmed that she was not allowed to lodge a police report on the matter, apart from having to demand that the authorities pay for her flight ticket to Kuala Lumpur. 

PSM secretary-general A Sivarajan in a press statement earlier said the Immigration officers had demanded Bawani pay for her own return ticket home and refused her request to lodge a police report. 

He also said that Bawani had prior to her trip gone to the Ipoh Immigration office and confirmed that there was no travel ban imposed on her for any reason. 

The Sarawak state government exercises Immigration autonomy as part of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement. In most cases, a notice of refusal of entry will be issued under Section 65(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

Critics had in the past, however, accused the Barisan Nasional state government of abusing its autonomy to ban opposition politicians or those critical of the state.