Malaysian govt never seized Hindraf chairman's passport, says foreign minister

Kuala Lumpur, July 14 : Malaysian government has said that the passport of Hindraf chairman P. Waythamoorthy was never seized, although there were orders to do so, and that he was free to move around.

Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said that Waythamoorthy was currently in United Kingdom and that he moved around freely as a valid Malaysian citizen.

"We had received orders to cancel his passport but no actions have been taken so far and Waythamoorthy still has his passport overseas, and moves around as a valid Malaysian passport holder. If he Waythamoorthy feels that he has done nothing wrong, he can come back," staronline.com quoted Bakri as saying.

He added that other Hindraf leaders were detained under the Internal Security Act as a preventive measure to ensure peace and stability in the country.

He also said the Malaysian Government felt that it was not necessary to monitor Waythamoorthy's movements. "Therefore, there have been no instructions for Malaysian Embassies to monitor the movements of Waythamoorthy," he said.

Replying to a question, the foreign minister said that the Government would welcome Waythamoorthy if he wanted to return to the country and cooperate with the authorities.

ANI