KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 — Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was detained by Malaysia’s Immigration officers and subsequently deported shortly after landing at the Penang International Airport today, sources confirmed.
Richard Chin, a member of the committee in charge of organising a series of talks Wong was scheduled to speak at, confirmed that he was detained and sent back to Hong Kong, but did not disclose any additional information.
“It’s true,” he said in a brief phone interview with Malay Mail Online, when asked if Wong was detained by immigration and sent home.
Wong was the face of the “yellow umbrella” revolution in Hong Kong which occupied some of Hong Kong’s busiest streets for 79 days as a means of civil disobedience, calling for electoral reforms.
At a press conference later this afternoon, Chin explained that Wong had arrived in Penang at 11.55pm but was stopped and told at the immigration counter that he would be deported.
“The authorities only told him that the government gave orders for him to be deported back to Hong Kong,” Chin said during the media conference at the airport.
Chin also played a recorded telephone conversation between him and Wong that purportedly transpired as the latter was being escorted to Dragon Air flight KA 634 that departed at 12.55pm.
In the brief two-minute conversation, Wong can be heard saying that he was being escorted to the flight by several immigration officers.
“They told me I have to go back, they are dragging me along,” Wong said in the phone call before pausing to yell “don’t use violence, I’m talking to my friend here.”
“What can I do now? They are quite firm about getting me on the flight back,” he then added.
Chin then advised him to do as the authorities said for his own safety and that they will keep in contact.
Chin, who is a member of the organising committee of the forum titled “Uprising of Youth and New Social Activism in Singapore and Hong Kong”, said Wong, together with another youth activist Han Hui Hui, from Singapore were supposed to speak about peaceful activism at the forum here tonight.
The forum will be held at 8pm at Auditorium A in Komtar today and will also be held in Ipoh tomorrow, in Johor Bahru on Thursday and in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
Source: www.themalaymailonline.com
