Singapore denies Malaysian scholar entry, calling her 'undesirable visitor'

Singaporean authorities refused entry to a Malaysian scholar earlier this week because of her political activism, with its home affairs ministry calling her an "undesirable visitor".

Fadiah Nadwa Fikri had "encouraged some youths in Singapore to adopt her brand of radical advocacy", the ministry said in a statement on Friday, without specifying what she advocated for.

Fadiah is a human rights lawyer and anti-corruption activist in Malaysia, according to Irish-based NGO Front Line Defenders. She is also a vocal advocate for Palestinians on social media.

Fadiah wrote on X that being denied entry was "tantamount to a deliberate attack on my scholarly work".

She called the experience "extremely distressing and outrageous".

Fadiah gained attention on social media after she posted a photo of what appears to be a notice of entry refusal issued on Sunday by immigration authorities.

According to the document, she was deemed "ineligible for the issue of a pass under current immigration policies".

Fadiah said she had planned to visit the country to collect her PhD degree certificate from the National University of Singapore, which she obtained in January.

She said she was also supposed to deliver a guest lecture on her thesis, cat-sit for a friend and pick up her books.

Fadiah said she asked immigration authorities to provide a reason for the ban, but "they said they could not disclose them".

The Ministry of Home Affairs said Fadiah had encouraged youths in Singapore to "go beyond protests" and "undertake disruptive and violent actions to support specific causes".

"We will not tolerate foreigners getting involved in our domestic politics, nor the promotion of unlawful, violent and disruptive methods of civil protest," the ministry said.

"Fadiah is an undesirable visitor, and we have thus denied her entry into our country."

Singapore has very strict rules against protests and requires a police permit for anygathering in public places to promote a cause.

The government has argued that rules on demonstrations are necessary to maintain peace and harmony in the tiny country. But critics say that these rules stifle freedom of expression and civil activism.

In 2024, authorities charged three women with organising an illegal procession after they staged a pro-Palestinian march. They were later acquitted by the court.

Last year, Singapore refused entry to Nathan Law, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist who lives in exile in the UK. He said he was invited to a closed-door conference in Singapore but was detained at the border.