Venturing overseas to further your academic development should be an enjoyable experience. However, for one Chinese national student studying to get his master’s degree in Malaysia, it turned out to be a nightmare.
He travelled to Malaysia from China and applied for a visa to enrol in the course.
Unfortunately, it was only valid for one month, causing immigration officers to detain him.
The student has thus been at the detention centre for nearly a month. He’s now going on a hunger strike to protest his detainment.
8world News reports that earlier this year, in March, 36-year-old Huang Yi flew from Beijing to Malaysia to study for a master’s degree at the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan.
As he was also a patient of Hepatitis B, a liver infection, he needed to obtain a special visa to stay in Malaysia and attend classes locally.
He had to fork out RM6,000 (S$1,738) for the visa, which was only valid for one month. In addition, there was an issue with a stamp on his passport.
His lawyer Li Suhua said Huang’s return flight to China with another Chinese female classmate was on 3 June.
However, authorities arrested him at Kuala Lumpur International Airport for the stamp on his passport. They then took him to the detention centre of the Immigration Department of Malaysia the day after.
Huang and his classmate pleaded guilty to their offences on 13 June, and a local judge fined them RM750 (S$217) each.
However, Huang’s classmate was able to pay the fine and returned to China on 27 June, leaving Huang in Semenyih Immigration Detention Centre.
Source: Malaysiakini
Li said after their hearing, the centre had to obtain an official document with the Attorney-General Office’s approval. This would allow them to release Huang.
However, the centre has not yet received the document.
She added that authorities held Huang there on 16 June, alongside convicted offenders and ill patients.
With frequent fights breaking out in the lock-up, they have taken a toll on his mental health, and he was reportedly on the verge of collapsing from the stress.
Speaking to Sin Chew Daily, Huang’s wife claimed that the University of Kelantan informed her he was now staging a hunger strike to protest his detainment.
Fearing for his life, she urged Li to rescue him and bring him back to China as soon as possible via a voice message.
Furthermore, Mrs Huang said her husband had no one in Malaysia to seek assistance if something happened to him.
As such, Li was under considerable pressure, with Huang’s family worried about him dying in the centre.
Such a tragic outcome was possible, as Hepatitis B patients had weak immunity. In addition, Huang had already suffered greatly in the lock-up cell, both emotionally and physically.
Li noted that the University of Kelantan had cooperated with the unfolding situation, providing evidence wherever necessary.
However, this still did not help much with matters.
As her next visit with Huang was on 3 July, she had no way of knowing if he was still on a hunger strike. At the same time, she would be able to confirm if the centre had received the relevant documents.
Li further told Sin Chew Daily that she would only feel at ease once she assisted him in leaving the centre and booked him a return flight to China.
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Featured image adapted from 8world News and Malaysiakini.
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