Predominantly Chinese schools have reported much of the revolt against the government's Vision School concept in Peninsular Malaysia of late. Sarawak may already have manifested its public repercussion against such revolt, amid on a slightly different term.

Over the weekend, Tan Seng Hin, originally from Melaka, was deported from Sarawak without any reason given. (As part of the conditions for joining the then Federation of Malaysia, Sarawak was allowed control over immigration matters, supposedly to protect the state and her 'less prepared' population.)

Tan, a developer, his wife Lu Ya Lei from Perak, and their two children have been living in Sarawak for the past 23 years.

The Sarawak Immigration Department served a notice on Tan at his office on Dec 22 last year giving him two weeks to leave the state. No reason was given. Tan was also told that he would not be permitted to re-enter Sarawak again.

Tan and his family appealed for him to stay for the coming Chinese New Year, but this was rejected. The family then tried appealing through the local Hainan Clan Association of Miri, where Lu chairs the women's wing and Tan a life member. There were also attempts to involve the Peninsular Malaysia Hainan Association, but they all proved too late for Tan.

Tan was deported on last Saturday and is currently staying with relatives in Kuala Lumpur. Tan had appealed to friends not to politicise this issue before his departure for Kuala Lumpur. A former unionist, Tan has written to the Immigration Department of Sarawak for an explanation.

What possible reason?

For an increasing number of NGO personnel and community activists, the explanation is simple. Sarawak state authorities have used this immigration autonomy to silent dissent - yet again.

This abuse of immigration autonomy has been used on well-known activists and those vocally supporting the rights of indigenous communities and the environment. Even community leaders and representatives have been targeted over the past two decades.

Sarawakians have either been denied renewal of their passports or an application for new one had been denied with no reason given. Those from outside Sarawak have been blacklisted and are unable to enter the state. No opportunities are given for reasoning. The state has pronounced all these people as being guilty of crimes involving defending or supporting the rights of a community.

One thing is for certain though from such abuse. The people targeted are all known to support communities against supposed development, such as the infamous Bakun Dam issue, and communities fighting against their land rights being taken away for mono-crop plantations and logging.

NGO activists such as Chee Yok Lin of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and Meenakshi Raman, legal adviser of the Consumer's Association of Penang) as well as several other NGO personnel from the peninsular and Sabah are still refused entry into Sarawak.

Since the early 1990s, and especially after the Rio Earth Summit, Sarawakian NGO personnel and community leaders like Thomas Jalong of the SAM Marudi office, Jok Jau Evong of the Rumah Bawang Residential Association, Gara Jalong of the Long Geng Kenyah community, Raymand Abin of the Borneo Resource Institute (Brimas), Wong Meng Chuo of the Institute for Development and Alternative Living (Ideal) and others have all been denied their passports.

Thomas Jalong and Jok Jau took the Immigration Department to court but the High Court ruled that a passport was a privilege rather than a right. This legal jargon meant the state had the absolute right to grant or deny any of its citizens their rights to travel and no reason is required.

Wong Meng Chuo submitted his complaint to the Malaysian human rights body Suhakam in August last year. So far, it is yet to be investigated.

Chinese educationist

Tan is a known local advocate of Chinese education in Sarawak. He is a board member of the Chinese Private Secondary School, which is among those against the recent push to change the medium of instruction for some subjects from Chinese to English in Sarawak. Tan was also elected by the Miri Hainan Association to be on the board of the Pei Ming Private Chinese middle school

Coincidentally, the Chinese-dominated Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), a major component member of the ruling BN coalition, led by its president George Chan, who is also the deputy chief minister and minister of finance and public utilities, is advocating the language change to prepare students to, among others, enter the Miri campus of the Curtin University of Western Australia.

This move is objected to by the Chinese private school body who argue that the move is against the will of the community which set up the schools.

Local Chinese papers have reported Tan's deportation, with some linked to the SUPP even carrying 'reconciliation' reports. No headline news for Tan from other papers, unlike the Swiss friend of Sarawak's Penans, who made unwanted headlines in the local media when he was deported from Sarawak in 1998.

The Chinese community is now aware of the matter and perhaps this caused the conciliatory reporting of a Miri Chinese daily on Tuesday. Pressure from the public is apparently mounting on the SUPP to act to allow Tan to return for the upcoming Chinese New year.

It is uncertain if he will be allowed to remain beyond the Chinese New Year.

Against the backdrop of the Vision Schools issue still very much alive and kicking in the peninsular, Tan's drama also unfolds at a time when the Sarawak state elections is sooner rather than later.

CHENDANG HOLLIS is a freelance writer based in Kuching.