CHENNAI: Australian filmmaker and two-time Oscar nominee David Bradbury, recognized for his documentary on anti-nuclear protests in southern Tamil Nadu’s Kudankulam, was stopped by immigration officers at Chennai airport on Sept 11 and allegedly pressured to depart the nation. Bradbury had arrived along with his daughter Nakeita, 21, and son Omar, 14, for a household journey throughout India.He was allegedly detained with out clarification and deported to Thailand.
“He was taken to a room, detained for twenty-four hours after which pressured to fly to Thailand. By 3am, we had been requested to depart the airport however got no particulars about my dad. He known as us solely after he reached Thailand,” Nakeita mentioned Thursday, talking over the telephone from Milan.
Bradbury had deliberate a visit throughout India as a “journey of discovery and remembrance” for his deceased accomplice Treena Lenthall. Whereas Nakeita and Omar cleared immigration, their father was held by officers. The siblings determined to proceed their journey by means of Puducherry, Salem, Kerala, Varanasi, and New Delhi, performing a standard Hindu farewell for Lenthall. On Wednesday, they left India to reunite with their father in Milan.
Nakeita suspects her father’s detention could also be linked to his documentary on the 2012 Kudankulam nuclear plant protests, although officers haven’t confirmed this. When contacted, officers from the Foreigners Regional Registration Workplace (FRRO) in Chennai mentioned they might “look into the matter”, however declined additional remark.
The siblings accomplished their journey lasting two weeks, counting on Google Maps and native assist. “We had been tricked many instances. We had been charged randomly at petrol bunks, toll gates, and lodges. It was not honest. However we pulled by means of,” mentioned Nakeita.
