KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian authorities will take appropriate action if there were errors made during an incident earlier this week, in which a Chinese national was initially barred entry at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made the comments in a Facebook post on Sunday (Jul 1), following a visit to the airport.
"During a surprise visit to the immigration and customs counters at KLIA earlier today, I saw that there is room for improvement to enhance operations at the country's entry point," he said.
"I had the opportunity to meet and speak with the staff and officers on duty regarding their daily operations, both at the arrival and departure counters."
The prime minister said that he also observed "emerging issues or problems" during the daily handling of tourists and foreign nationals, as well as local residents.
"In light of the recent incident involving Chinese tourists, I assure you that a thorough investigation will be conducted by the authorities, and preliminary discussions will be held during the Cabinet meeting this Wednesday," wrote Mr Anwar.
"Meanwhile, appropriate actions will also be taken by the parties involved if there are any mistakes that should not have occurred and ... affected the fluidity of operations," he added.
In a report published on Saturday, local news outlet The Star quoted Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing as saying that he had to personally step in to help an employee of a China-based media company after she was allegedly held up by immigration officers at KLIA on arrival from Shenzhen on Thursday.
According to The Star, the woman, who is a China national, alleged that she was denied entry by immigration officers although her travel documents were in order.
She claimed that she was asked to pay several thousand ringgit if she wanted to be allowed entry, the report said.
The woman had reportedly arrived in Malaysia with her superior, a senior official of a Chinese government-owned TV station.
While her superior was cleared and allowed entry by the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM), the woman, who is the senior official’s personal assistant, was denied entry and allegedly told there were discrepancies in her travel documents.
Mr Tiong was quoted by The Star as saying that the station official called up the Consulate General of Malaysia in Guangzhou and sought help upon seeing her colleague in distress.
"I received a call from a staff member of the consulate general's office who related what allegedly happened," Mr Tiong reportedly said.
"I contacted the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and together with its officers, we went over to KLIA at 3pm to investigate. I met and spoke to both the visitors and immigration officers on duty."
Mr Tiong reportedly also said the personal assistant was later allowed to enter the country after he had intervened, adding that “Thursday’s incident was the fifth time I had gone to intervene on such matters".
PROBE INTO ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION
On Saturday, the MACC said it will investigate allegations of corruption by immigration officers when handling foreign tourists at the country’s entry points.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the commission was gathering information from the parties involved, including a well-known dignitary and JIM, to facilitate the investigation.
A local news portal on Thursday reported that a commotion occurred at KLIA, when a Malaysian minister allegedly attempted to "rescue" a female Chinese national who was denied entry into the country.
The minister, purportedly Mr Tiong, was said to have barged into the arrival hall without applying for a security pass, with the incident going viral on social media.
Immigration director-general Ruslin Jusoh said on Friday his department would also investigate the incident.
Mr Tiong was quoted by The Star as saying that the media reports which said he did not have a security pass to enter the arrival zone of KLIA were "untrue" and he had a pass that was valid until next year.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asi...mistakes-found-says-malaysia-pm-anwar-3601126
