KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — A man claiming to be a PKR member, who left Malaysia to avoid political intrigue, has been detained by Indonesian authorities for possessing fake identification documents.
Indonesian news portal Detik reported at the weekend that Malaysian Azmin Helmi was picked up on Friday by immigration officers in Batam who became suspicious when he tried to renew his counterfeit passport.
The Ampang, Selangor resident, who was born on March 27, 1975, was also found to be holding a false Indonesian identity card and family card issued in Batam, as well as a fake birth certificate from the Karimun Regency.
Batam immigration authorities told the press that Azmin, who identified himself as a PKR member, had entered Indonesia on a Malaysian passport via the Tanjung Balai international port in Karimun on February 15, 2009.
He told investigators he had travelled around Indonesia, visiting Pekanbaru, Jakarta before eventually residing in Cengkareng, Cingkawang and Pondok Kelapa districts, exceeding his 30-day visitors’ visa.
Azmin also claimed his stay in Jakarta had been funded by his family and PKR.
“I chose to stay in Indonesia even though my visa had ended because my family in Malaysia and the PKR leadership urged me to change in Indonesia,” he told the immigration officers, according to Detik.
“My safety is not ensured in Malaysia as a result of threats made against me by Malaysian leaders who may use me as a pawn or political tool for the authorities.”
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