KL drops charges against
Palestinian stowaway on SIA
Prosecutors cite humanitarian reason; Osama will be deported to
Gaza
Straits Times, The
(Singapore)
Asia - Malaysia
November 21, 2007
Author: Chow Kum Hor, Malaysia Correspondent
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIAN prosecutors yesterday withdrew 'on
humanitarian grounds' a trespassing charge against a Palestinian
who sneaked aboard a Singapore Airlines plane last month.
The move came after the Palestinian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur
appealed to the government to reconsider charging stowaway Osama
R.M. Shublaq, 28.
'We were told that the government withdrew the charge on
humanitarian grounds,' Osama's lawyer, Ms Latheefa Koya, told The
Straits Times.
Osama, who allegedly suffered from depression, had hoped to seek
political asylum in Malaysia after fleeing from a conflict-ridden
area.
The Palestinian is said to have entered Malaysia on a social visit
pass on Sept 15.
Last month, he was charged with trespassing in a protected area in
the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Oct 11. He was
believed to have evaded security by scaling the airport's perimeter
fences.
Osama will be held at an immigration detention centre and is
expected to be deported later this week.
A senior officer with the Selangor prosecutor's office said the
instructions to withdraw the charge came from the
Attorney-General's Chambers.
'The A-G agreed to use his discretionary powers in this case,' said
the officer, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He added that police had also questioned Osama on how he managed to
escape detection and sneak on to the SIA plane headed for
Singapore.
Mr Ahmed Metani, a Palestinian Embassy official, said Osama would
be sent back to Gaza City, where he is expected to be interrogated
by the Palestinian authorities.
On Oct 11, the Palestinian shocked ground crew at Singapore's
Changi Airport when he fell out of the Boeing 777-200's nose wheel
well when the plane landed.
He was cold and dizzy from lack of oxygen after the 55- minute
flight but was otherwise unhurt.
The next day, he was charged with entering Singapore without valid
documentation. But a few days later, the charge was withdrawn and
he was deported to Malaysia.
The case caused some embarrassment to the Malaysian government when
it emerged that KLIA's closed-circuit cameras had failed to capture
images of Osama entering the airport's security area.
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WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS
Copyright, 2007, Singapore Press Holdings Limited