In a post on his Facebook page today, Fahmi wrote that he was on his way to Taiwan.
“I fought the law, and I won! I’m going to Taiwan! Ending yang tidak dijangka (unexpected ending).
“Nanti aku cerita. Sekarang nak naik pesawat. (I’ll tell you later. Now I’m about to board the plane),” he said.
Fahmi, who is a graphic designer and street artist, courted controversy in the past for a caricature he did of Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Last week, he shared with fans and followers how he found out he was on the travel ban list under the immigration department.
He said that he made the discovery on the department’s website, where a message instructed him to go to the nearest immigration office. He did, and spoke to an immigration officer at the Pudu Sentral UTC, in Kuala Lumpur.
“The officer checked my IC number and confirmed that I was blacklisted,” Fahmi said, adding that the officer was unsure though, if it meant he was barred from entering certain states in Malaysia or from leaving the country altogether.
Fahmi, who was declared persona non grata in Sarawak in 2010, said a phone call to the Putrajaya Immigration office revealed he was no longer barred from entering Sarawak, but he was now not allowed to leave the country.
He added this was because the police had put his name on their “wanted” list, and that the travel ban had been effective since March 31 last year.
This was believed to have come following an investigation under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, over the caricature of the PM that he had drawn.
On Saturday, Fahmi wrote that an Inspector R said that the police had put his name on the “wanted” list because when they wanted to question him last year, they had been unable to as he was in Thailand for work.
Fahmi however, explained to the police that he had already been questioned earlier on.
Inspector R then informed him he would be taken off the immigration blacklist.
This made it possible for Fahmi to fly to Taiwan today, in time for an event where he would be talking about his art and design in activism.
“Short story: Because of my relentless efforts in fighting the travel ban imposed on me, with various methods since last Thursday, finally victory is on my side. Success! Bye bye Najib, I’m flying to Taiwan!
“Long story: Wait until I reach Taipei, then I’ll tell how I managed to get through (the immigration blacklist).”