Further details have emerged about what happened on the night that singer/songwriter Maggie Lindemann’s debut Asian tour was cut short after she was arrested by the Immigration Department for performing without a permit.
The arrest on June 21 at The Bee, Publika had caused Lindemann to cancel her next two Asian stops in Vietnam and Singapore.
The 20-year-old had posted on social media platforms: “For reasons I can’t go into right now, I was detained and arrested mid-way through my set and spent the next 5 days confined in a living hell ... I was so excited to see and meet all of you but unfortunately I was unable to finish the tour. I have been advised not to say more at this time, but thank you for the kind words and concern. I love you and hope to be back soon.”
In an interview conducted with theSun prior to the show (see www.thesundaily.my: Left Out in the Cold, July 1), Lindemann had said “she was excited to see everything and just meet everyone”.
Lindemann had added: “I’m a little bit nervous, just because it’s always like a little nervous coming somewhere new and sing but I’ve gotten a really good response on social media and everything, so I’m really excited to meet everyone.”
On the night in question, Mohd Redzuan, 38, who was there covering Lindemann’s performance, said: “I was standing beside the stage when I noticed about four or five people walk in and head backstage. I wondered what was going on.”
One of them then stood in front of Redzuan to record a video on his handphone of Lindemann’s performance, and when Redzuan asked him to move aside so that he could take photographs, the man announced himself as an enforcement officer.
When Lindemann suddenly announced to the crowd that she was going to “take a break” and go backstage, it confirmed his suspicion that there might be a problem. He decided to leave.
“On my way driving out of Publika, an Immigration van drove past me with its sirens on,“ he added.
A statement released by The Bee today said that Lindemann was detained by immigration only overnight and that she was released within 24 hours. But she could not leave the country for five days pending the hearing of the visa permit agent who brought her in for the show.
The statement added that “the organisers of the show worked around the clock and did everything in their power to successfully get her and her crew released and placed in a safe and comfortable environment pending the Immigration hearing date, upon which she was returned home to the US.
“We understand that the incident occurred due to the wrongful actions of the visa permit agent, who has also misinformed the organisers that the show was approved by the relevant authorities, and permitted to go on. The agent was subsequently charged, found guilty for his negligence and had to pay a fine for his actions.”
The Bee stated that it was not responsible for the arrest and does not condone any foreign acts to proceed to perform when there are such irregularities.
“We are deeply sorry that this unfortunate incident happened to Maggie and we hope to welcome her to The Bee again,” the statement concluded.
