Santhara's leave turns up the heat on NZ govt

The New Zealand government has kept mum on whether its guest and Malaysian deputy minister Edmund Santhara had received special treatment.

The matter was pursued by Wellington-based news organisation Stuff, which found that the New Zealand government was not forthcoming on Santhara's status in the country nor how long he waited for a quarantine spot.

The country's immigration department told Stuff that they were unable to provide any information on Santhara in the absence of a privacy waiver.

Similarly, a spokesperson for the business, innovation and employment ministry - which oversees quarantine facilities - said they...