Sect fanatic’s bid to enter N.Z.

Press, 20 April 1979, Page 1

Sect fanatic’s bid to enter N.Z.

* A Wellington Jim Jones, the leader of the American religious sect which flared into prominence with the Jonestown mass suicides in Guyana last November, made three seoarate applications in 1962 to come to New Zealand. His last application was for permanent residence, and he said he wanted to come to New Zealand because he admired the type of Government this coun-

try had, said the Undersecretary for Immigration (Mr Malcolm) yesterday. Mr Malcolm said Jones first applied to come to New Zealand with his wife and four children on January 24, 1962, through the British Consulate in Honolulu. “At that time, Jones evidently was the director of the Civil Rights Commission at city hall in Indianapolis, Indiana. He said he had resigned from the job, which was kept

open for him, because he was suffering from ulcers and overwork. He wanted to come to New Zealand and rest, during the course of a world tour.” But in March, 1962, the reasons for his applying to enter New Zealand were changed Mr Malcom said. “He now said he wanted to come into New Zealand as a student to prepare for missionary work in Africa.” Six months later, Jones

had moved to Brazil where he filed another application for permanent residence. “This time, his reason was given as admiration of the type of Government we had,” said Mr Maicolm. No decisions were made on the earlier applications because of Jones’s obvious changing of tacks. “In February, 1963, the application for permanent residence was declined by the then Minister, Mr Shand.”

Mr Malcolm said he had decided to provide information in the Jones case because of “persistent and accurate questioning” from one section of the news media. Basic details on immigration files would be publicly disclosed, if he considered it was- in the public interest, Mr Malcolm said. “In the past, Ministers of Immigration have chosen not to exercise this discretion,” he said.