Saturday, June 10, 2017

Malaysia treated me like a criminal: Vaiko

Jun 11 2017 : The Times of India (Chennai)
Malaysia treated me like a criminal: Vaiko
Chennai:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK


Recalling his ordeal at Kuala Lumpur airport, MDMK chief Vaiko said on Saturday that he was treated like a criminal by the Malaysian authorities.In a statement released on Saturday, Vaiko said despite best efforts by Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng, he was not allowed to enter Malaysia as the authorities said his name was on the list of people deemed dangerous to that country.He had gone to Malaysia to attend a marriage on Friday, but was stopped at the airport and made to sit at a place for nine hours before being sent back to India “I was very critical of the 2009 Eelam war. Then there was a Sri Lankan consulate official, P K Hamsa, in Chennai. The official, who is now in Britain, sent a dossier about me to all embassies.Since then, I have been facing problems in getting visas. I tried to get a visa to visit my daughter in the US and I was told that I belonged to a banned organisation and the consulate officials denied visa,“ said Vaiko.
He said the Sri Lankan of ficial, along with the dossier, had attached his pictures taken during his visit to Vanni forests in Sri Lanka in 1989. “Despite my explanation that I am not a member of the banned organization, but a supporter, it did not cut much ice. After this, I was denied visas to visit Germany, Switzerland, Canada and the US,“ said Vaiko.
“A Malaysian consulate official in Kuala Lumpur airport even offered food from his house. I thanked him for his gesture,“ said Vaiko who refused to take food at the airport.
The MDMK chief alleged that the Sri Lankan government was preventing people from talking about the Eelam war. “I am not able to understand how the Malaysian consulate gave me visa in the first place to travel to that country. In 2014-15, I attended a Tamil conference in Penang and even addressed the conference. I came to know from people in Penang that it is only the Lankan government which has prevented me from visiting Malaysia,“ said Vaiko.
The CPM, Dravida Kazhagam and several other parties condemned the Malaysian government's decision to deny permission to Vaiko to visit the country.The MDMK chief thanked all those who supported him.

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