Activist's Indian escape stalled by bureaucrats (From Your Local Guardian)

Thornton Heath activist Andy Pag's Indian escape stalled by bureaucrats

7:00am Friday 20th August 2010 in Croydon By Kirsty Whalley

Eco-activist Andy Pag has found himself engaged in another battle with Indian immigration officials, who have refused to let him leave the country again.

The Thornton Heath campaigner is touring the world in a bus powered by chip fat to raise awareness about the damage caused by fossil fuels – his next stop is Australia.

He ran into trouble earlier this year when he was arrested in January, in northern India, because he was carrying a satellite phone without permission.

He spent a week in an Indian prison with a murderer for a cell mate before going through a lengthy trial.

He narrowly escaped a 10-year prison sentence and had to pay a 1,000 rupee fine (£14).

Mr Pag thought he would have to cancel the rest of his trip after blowing 6,000 euros (£4,930) on legal fees, but was rescued at the last minute by shipping company Maersk Line, which offered to sponsor him.

However, after recovering from his legal ordeal by spending two months in Nepal, Mr Pag is again stuck in India after immigration officials have refused him an exit visa.

The campaigner fears he will be forced to fly out of the country, rather than sail, increasing his carbon footprint.

He said: “I came back to India to continue my round the world journey, and was reminded of how troublesome it can be.

“Maersk has moved heaven and earth to get me permission to travel on the container ship with my bus so I wouldn’t have to fly, and the carbon footprint of the sea leg would be minimal.

“Now at the last minute the immigration office has said I can’t leave the country from the port because I am on a tourist visa.

“These bureaucrats are very rigid, and don’t have the imagination to understand what I am trying to do.

“After four months of battling with them I’m losing the appetite for the fight, and it looks like I’ll have to fly out of here, which is really disappointing.”

A spokeswoman for Maersk said it was trying to persuade officials to allow Mr Pag to leave the country by sea.