Petaling Jaya: Anwar Ibrahim has demanded Putrajaya explain the role it played in his forceful denial of entry into Japan.
“I demand an explanation from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in particular, as to what role Wisma Putra has played in this scandalous episode in respect of the so-called ‘latest report’ that has purportedly led to my being forcibly evicted from Japan,” the PKR de facto leader said in a statement here.
Last night, Anwar reportedly said he was barred from entering the country when he arrived at Narita International Airport at 6.45am yesterday and was told to board the first flight back or face deportation.
“I told the immigration authorities there must be some mix-up in this matter and protested that it was not proper for them to bar me from entering the country without a bona fide and valid reason,” he said.
“When I asked why I was not allowed to enter, they told me that it was because of my previous conviction in 1999,” he added.
Anwar said the excuse given could not be valid as he had already entered Tokyo without hindrance on three previous occasions in 2006, 2009, and 2012.
“As I persisted in asking for an explanation, they finally told me that they had to take this action ‘because of a latest report’ possibly in 2013,” he said.
“I protest in the strongest terms this unwarranted action of the Japanese government in refusing me entry and denying my legitimate rights to travel freely without hindrance,” he added.
On his purpose to Tokyo, Anwar explained that he was invited personally by the Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, Yohei Sasakawa, to present a paper on Muslim Democrats.
“As a routine pre-travel procedure, my office had made inquiries with the Japanese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur last week and was informed that there would be no issues outstanding which would be an impediment to my entering the country,” he lamented.
“It is indeed inconceivable for one of the world’s leading democracies to take this unprecedented action under such tenuous grounds and leaves me with the impression that hidden hands may be at work here.”
Underhanded pressure
Meanwhile, PKR’s head of Human Rights and Legal Bureau Latheefa Koya said Wisma Putra must explain its role in the barring of Anwar from entering Japan.
“It is strange that Anwar should suddenly be barred over an old politically motivated charge from 1999 when he had entered Japan since then on numerous occasions.
“This is the latest of series of attack and harrasment by this government against the Opposition Leader who is now still facing a possibility of conviction on a trumped up charge,” she said in a statement.
She added that this was not not the first time the government had used “underhanded diplomatic pressure to protect their interests”.
She said previously the government had stopped renowned Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand from coming to Malaysia to perform autopsy for death in custody victim Sugumar.
“We therefore call the prime minister to rectify the situation by immediately withdrawing the unwarranted report sent to the Japanese government and give full travel clearance to Anwar,” she said.
In another development, an Umno insider said the blame was not with the Malaysian government.
The insider claimed that the Japanese government was the first to submit a report to Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1998 when the then prime minister was about to sack Anwar.
Neither Anwar nor Malaysia’s foreign ministry were immediately available for comment. Japanese embassy officials said they were awaiting advice from Tokyo before making any comment.
However AFP quoted Anwar as saying that he was “puzzled and shocked by the incident”.
“It is not the way for a democratic country to treat an opposition political leader and a veteran politician,” he told AFP, while urging Putrajaya to “probe this incident and lodge a strong protest against Tokyo.”
-Free Malaysia Today
