Malaysia denies entry to Australian senator Nick Xenophon

Malaysia turned away an Australian senator who flew there yesterday to highlight his concerns about upcoming elections, calling him a security risk who had broken Malaysian law by attending an illegal street rally.

Nick Xenophon, an independent senator from South Australia, had planned to meet opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, a cabinet minister and electoral activists to discuss transparency issues for elections that must be held by the end of June.

Hisan Hamzah, the police chief of Selangor state, said Xenophon was taken into custody when he arrived at the airport and denied entry "for security reasons". Xenophon left on a 10.30pm flight to Melbourne.

Immigration director general Alias Ahmad said Xenophon was barred because he was at a banned Kuala Lumpur demonstration last year.

"Malaysia is a free and democratic country, but no one is above the law," he said. "Authorities will take the appropriate action against any individual deemed to have violated national laws."

Xenophon said the action "confirms our concerns about the situation in Malaysia".

"Apparently I'm persona non grata. I'm said to be a security risk," Xenophon said by phone from an airport holding room.

"I'm shocked this action has been taken. It seems that the government is fearful of scrutiny … this in my mind confirms that they [elections] won't be fair".

Malaysian Interior Minister Hishamuddin Hussein was quoted by The Star daily online as saying foreigners being denied entry was a "normal thing".

Xenophon visited Kuala Lumpur last April as a foreign observer at a rally where police used tear gas to disperse tens of thousands of Malaysians who demanded changes to electoral policies that they say are manipulated to favour Prime Minister Najib Razak's long-ruling coalition.

He subsequently said the crackdown on the rally raised "serious questions over how authoritarian" the country appeared to be.

Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the detention "is a surprising and disappointing act from a country with which Australia routinely maintains strong diplomatic relations".

Anwar called Xenophon's detention "a gross abuse of power", while Lim Chee Wee, president of the Malaysian Bar, which comprises more than 12,000 lawyers, said that it was shameful and absurd, adding that authorities "owe an unreserved apology" to the senator.

Three other Australian politicians were scheduled to travel to Malaysia to join Xenophon for this week's meetings. Senator John Williams, a member of the group, told Australia's ABC News that they were cancelling the trip following Xenophon's detention.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak must call elections by April 28.

Officials have promised to boost transparency in this year's elections by allowing Malaysians living overseas to cast postal ballots, lengthening campaign periods and bolstering security to prevent voter fraud.

But activists say authorities have not done enough to address concerns over vote-buying and the use of government-controlled news media to denounce the opposition.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse