Wanted Sabah activist gets British passport

Sabahan activist Doris Jones has obtained a British passport after the Malaysian government refused to renew her passport last month. Jones, writing on her Facebook page last night, said she had settled her passport problem without any hitches as she had been a permanent resident of the United Kingdom for almost 20 years.

"It is not my intention to change my passport from Malaysian passport to United Kingdom International passport, but it is the fault of Malaysian government for rejecting a Sabah citizen from continuing to stay in Malaysia,” she wrote.

She also added that it was not a loss since a Malaysian passport did not allow the holder to visit Israel, unlike the British passport which has no travel restrictions.

"Personally, it’s not a loss for Sabah to lose a citizen like me. I’m prepared right from the beginning (since the start of SSKM) for all risks including my own soul,” she said, referring to the Secession of Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia movement.

Jones, 45, whose full name is Doris Yapp Kim Young, is a wanted person in Malaysia, after a court in Tuaran issued an arrest warrant on her in January, ordering her appearance in court to answer a charge under the Sediton Act.

Jones runs the SSKM Facebook page, and has allegedly used it to promote the secession of Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia.

In February, Malaysian police requested Interpol's help to trace Jones but in May, The Star reported Sabah police as saying that they could not extradite her from London as Britain, which has abolished its sedition laws, did not recognise her "crime".