The Ministry of Interior will appeal to the Immigration Police Department to deport fallen British rock star Gary Glitter, Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said on Wednesday.
A government ban on Glitter entering Cambodia was announced in January and is still in place, Khieu Sopheak said. “We will appeal to expel him,” he said.
“We have the right to say no” to Glitter, Khieu Sopheak said. “Cambodia is not a sanctuary for people who commit pedophilia.” he said. “He got the visa, but who gave it [to] him?”
Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, has been temporarily living in Cambodia on a short-term visa while undertaking a legal battle at Phnom Penh Municipal Court to stay in the country, his lawyer Naryth Hem said Monday.
Glitter has not committed a crime in Cambodia and should not be prohibited from residing here, Naryth Hem said.
In 1999, Glitter was sentenced to four months behind bars in Britain after pleading guilty to child porn charges.
Khieu Sopheak tempered his statements later Wednesday, when he said the possibility of Glitter renewing his visa had not been ruled out. But the chances of a renewal are limited, he added. “How can we renew someone that has been convicted for this crime?” He asked. “His character is not acceptable to Cambodia.”
Glitter arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport last month, the airport’s police chief, Chhay Bunna, said Wednesday.
Glitter is permitted to stay in Cambodia for one month, Chhay Bunna said. “We allowed him to come in because he had a letter summoning him from the court,” he said.
Glitter was deported in December and has returned to find out why, Chhay Bunna said. “Usually when someone is deported they are never allowed back in,” Chhay Bunna said. “But this guy came back to find out what is right and what is wrong about his [case].”
