Sarawak has emulated Sabah in banning convicted serial rapist S. Selva Kumar from entering the state.

State Immigration director Ken Leben said the state authorities had instructed the department to bar Selva Kumar from the state with immediate effect.

Several state and political party leaders urged the state government yesterday to impose the ban.

They included Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing, Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, national PKR Wanita vice-president Voon Shiak Ni and Sarawak United People's Party secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting Chew Yew.

Selva Kumar returned to Malaysia yesterday after completing his 24-year jail sentence in Canada on 19 counts of sexual assault, 28 counts of administering noxious substances, 10 counts of various assaults and a dozen other charges.

-- BERNAMA