Police deny issuing travel ban on activist
PETALING JAYA: Police have denied activist Mohd Fahmi Reza Mohd Zarin, also known as Fahmi Reza, is under any travel ban despite claims he was stopped from travelling abroad.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain clarified that Fahmi's name was only placed on a travel monitoring list as part of an ongoing investigation.
'There is no official travel restriction imposed on Fahmi at this time. However, his name has been placed on a travel monitoring list for internal record-keeping and reference purposes as investigations involving him are ongoing.'
He explained that the list is not a travel ban but part of routine monitoring procedures by authorities.
Razarudin added that a misunderstanding at the KL International Airport (KLIA) checkpoint on June 7 resulted in Fahmi being mistakenly flagged as subject to a travel ban.
'This situation is currently under review and appropriate measures will be taken to improve existing procedures.
'Police remain committed to upholding and respecting the freedom of movement of all Malaysian citizens. The individual concerned is free to travel in and out of the country as usual, subject to regulations set by the Immigration Department and other applicable laws.'
Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had instructed police to review the alleged travel ban on Fahmi.
In a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, Anwar stressed that the Madani government upholds individual freedoms as long as they do not compromise national security or breach existing laws.
'Police must provide further clarification regarding this matter. The Prime Minister's Office will continue to monitor developments accordingly.'
On Saturday, Fahmi claimed he was prevented from leaving Malaysia after recently being blacklisted from entering Sabah.
In a Facebook post, he said he was barred from travelling after immigration officers at KLIA informed him he had been blacklisted.
He said he arrived at KLIA at around 7.30am for a 9.35am flight.
Upon reaching the international immigration clearance counter, he was redirected to the immigration office for further checks.
'I arrived at KLIA at 7.30am and I was stopped at the international departure immigration counter and asked to wait in a temporary office while officers checked with the Travel Control Office.'
After presenting his departure clearance pass and flight ticket, Fahmi said he was told police had not approved his exit from
the country.
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