Home Ministry to revoke Alvin Tan's international passport

The Home Ministry will revoke the international passport of contoversial blogger Alvin Tan, who is currently believed to be in the United States.

Its Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the move to revoke the passport of Alvin Tan, 26, whose actual name is Tan Jye Yee, would be based on the provisions under the Immigration Act.

"We can do it as soon as possible. In fact it can be done by this Monday," he told reporters after launching the police Special Tactical Squad 3 (STAGG) here today.

He said the move was taken based on his current status after he fled the country to obtain political asylum abroad and avoided from being arrested by the authorities for offences commited.

Ahmad Zahid said, with the revocation of his passport, the blogger would lose his eligibility to be in any location abroad as he no longer had any permission to do so from his country of origin.

On July 18, 2013, Alvin Tan and his girlfriend Vivian Lee, 25, were charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court under the Sedition Act for insulting the Islam and the month of Ramadan in the Facebook website.

Subsequently the court last Aug 22 issued a warrant of arrest after he failed to attend a mention of the case.

Recently he was believed to have downloaded a statement that allegedly insulted the institution of monarchy through his Facebook.

On STAGG, Zahid said the 220-member squad, including 61 officers, was set up specially to adddess crimes relating to vice, gambling and gangsterism.

"This squad's operation is not only confined to the Klang Valley and federal capital but also nationwide by focusing on the targeted groups," he added.