KUALA LUMPUR - Putrajaya’s revocation of Alvin Tan’s passport has aided his bid for political asylum in the United States, according to the fugitive sex blogger who said it demonstrates the persecution that he claims to face here in Malaysia.
Tan asserted that the “theatrics” by the home minister and Inspector-General of Police only increases the chances of him being granted refuge in the US, which he said would be an indictment of the superpower’s views of Umno’s “tyranny” here.
Despite no longer being able to travel internationally and facing an asylum application that could drag on for years, Tan said he was prepared to wait out the process that he claimed was now easier thanks to the latest development.
“There's no next course of action. I'm not in a hurry to go anywhere. I'm in Los Angeles to chase my dream of Hollywood; why would I need my passport to go anywhere?” he told Malay Mail Online via Facebook.
The Selangor native explained that he submitted his application for political asylum on May 27 this year and is now waiting to be informed of the dates to present himself at the US Immigration Court for hearing, when he will submit evidence of the claimed political persecution.
Tan, who first rose to infamy with a salacious sex blog that he shared with former girlfriend Vivian Lee, added that the outcome of his asylum application would be big news back home regardless of whether he fails or succeeds.
“Accepted means the US government agrees that Umno is tyrannical. That’s a pretty big statement,” he told Malay Mail Online.
“Rejected means I'll be deported back... that's when the show really begins!”
Yesterday, Immigration Director-General Datuk Mustafa Ibrahim announced that Putrajaya has revoked the passports of Tan and another fugitive, student activist Ali Abd Jalil, in a first for the country.
Effective immediately, Tan and Ali, who is similarly seeking political asylum in Sweden, will no longer have valid legal documents necessary for them to to travel from their host countries or to return to Malaysia.
They may possibly secure an Emergency Certificate from the Malaysian embassies in the US and Sweden, which will allow them to return to Malaysia where they can appeal the cancellation of their passports, although it is likely both will face arrest for absconding from their ongoing criminal trials.
Tan and Ali both skipped bail while facing sedition charges, the former for a mock Hari Raya greeting that featured a pork dish while the latter is being prosecuted for insulting the Johor royal house.
The sex blogger and the youth activist fled the country in September and October, respectively, with the latter saying he was advised by Tan to abscond from his trial.
Coincidentally, US Vice President Joe Biden commented bluntly on Malaysia’s continued use of the Sedition Act 1948 last week, expressing his country’s “concern” over the government’s stifling of dissent here using the colonial era law.
Yesterday, Mustafa said the unprecedented step against both was taken based on the “public’s demand” as seen through “blogs, emails, Twitter, WhatsApp messages”.
Tan has been particularly prodigious in denigrating Malaysian authorities and politicians via Facebook, hurling expletive-laden insults and taunts both over over his own case as well as other events here.
Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia previously described Tan’s actions as extremist and warned that the authorities’ failure to act will send “the wrong signal to Malaysians and motivate other individuals to insult religion, race and the royal institute as they wish”. -Malay Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.