Aussie senator detained at LCCT, awaiting deportation

Australian senator Nick Xenophon has been detained at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), awaiting deportation for allegedly being an 'enemy of the state'.

Xenophon, who arrived at  the LCCT Air Asia terminal at Sepang 6.40 this morning, has been held at the Immigration holding pen over the past four hours.

"I am effectively a prisoner here," Xenophon told Australia’s Sunday Mail. "I'm being held in an area with all these holding cells which are full of women.

"They have basically told me I am an enemy of the state. They are trying to get me on the next plane out of here and back home."

According to the senator, while he was not allowed to make any telephone calls, he managed to call the Australian newspaper when he was left unattended in the interrogation room.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's chief of staff Ibrahim Yaacob, who rushed to the LCCT to deal with the matter, told Malaysiakinithat immigration officials found Xenophon's name has been blacklisted in the immigration department's system.

"The officials did not give any other reasons, but Xenophon told us he was informed that he is the enemy of the state," Ibrahim said when contacted.

According to AFP, Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr said Australian officials have been in touch with Xenophon, as well as Malaysia's foreign and home ministers, and are seeking his "swift release" from custody.

"Senator Xenophon's detention is a surprising and disappointing act from a country with which Australia routinely maintains strong diplomatic relations," he said in a statement.

To be batted back home

Xenophon is scheduled to be deported back to Australia on a flight at 10 tonight, according to Ibrahim.

Ibrahim also said the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia has arrived at the airport and is trying to contact Malaysian foreign ministry.

The independent senator was part of a four-member Australian delegation which took upon themselves the task of examining the Malaysian electoral system after the Australian government rejected Anwar's request for independent observers to observe the coming general.

The three other Australian politicians are Liberal MP Mal Washer, Nationals senator John Williams, and Labor MP Steve Georganas.

The delegation is scheduled to meet with Anwar on Monday, the Election Commission and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz on Tuesday, as well as other NGOs and opposition MPs.

However, the trio has yet to leave for Malaysia.

According to Ibrahim, they have decided to cancel their visit after what happened to Xenophon.

"This will give horrible name to Malaysia internationally," he said.

In April last year, Xenophon was part of a seven-member international team commissioned by Anwar to conduct a fact-finding mission on Malaysia's electoral system.

He also attended the Bersih 3.0 rally as an international observer and was tear gassed by the riot police clamping down on demonstrators demanding electoral reforms.

Xenophon's presence in Malaysia also prompted both Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times to publish reports painting him asanti-Islam.

Both dailies then openlyapologised after he threatened to take legal action as transcripts confirmed the senator, in his speech, had not referred to Islam, but Scientology.

'Orders from above'

Xenophon also told Australia's ABC News 24 he had not expected to be detained on arrival in Kuala Lumpur.

He said the immigration officials have been "incredibly polite" but they have told him they received "orders from above" to detain him.

"I just find it extraordinary. I've been here before [and] I've made statements about the state of Malaysian democracy previously," he said.

"But on this occasion clearly someone high up in the Malaysian government doesn't want me here."