- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 25
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What are they doing?? Going backwards?? What's the point?
Here's the extract from the article.
Singaporeans must fill in 'white cards' again
Singaporeans will have to fill in embarkation and disembarkation forms from Wednesday when they enter or leave Malaysia through the Causeway and the Second Link.
This means Immigration clearance will take a longer time at both the entry and exit points as Immigration Department officers will have to spend more time verifying their forms and passports.
Since Jan 20 this year, Singaporeans were exempted from filling in the forms, popularly known as the "white cards", when visiting Malaysia through the land entry points. All they had to do was to hand over their passports for verification and scanning.
The move, which was well received by Singaporeans, was aimed at easing traffic flow at the border points and promoting tourism and retail activities.
Obviously, scrapping the exemption will mean longer queues at Immigration checkpoints, especially during weekends or public holidays.
Priscilla Gwee, 32, a marketing executive in Singapore, said she liked to shop and dine and visit relatives and friends in Johor Baru almost every weekend.
"Immigration clearance has been very fast since the Malaysian Immigration did away with the forms in January. The average clearance time for a fully occupied car is about 30 seconds.
"We were happy about this measure to facilitate Singaporean travellers. Now, the whole thing is being cancelled barely six months after its implementation.
"It is like repeating the problems of the past when we had to wait in long queues for Immigration clearance. I will observe how bad the queues are next weekend. If it is bad, I will enter Johor Baru less often."
Another Singaporean, Saufi Kamaruddin, an information technology sales assistant, said he was surprised that the Malaysian government had reversed its policy and this would make travelling more troublesome.
"I enter Malaysia almost every week to dine and shop for groceries with my wife and children.
"We were getting so used to entering the country without filling in the white cards for the past six months. Now, we have to start filling the cards again. Immigration clearance will be more time consuming from Wednesday."
Immigration officers stationed at both checkpoints confirmed the new rule. However, they do not know the reason for it.
Johor Immigration director Nasri Ishak could not be reached for comment.
Johor Tourist Guide Association chairman Jimmy Leong said he was only informed about the new ruling early this week. He questioned the Immigration Department's reason for making life difficult for Singaporeans coming here.
"This is going to affect their arrivals. Eventually, many sectors will suffer, tourism among them.
"We should make life easier for our guests, not the other way round. I hope the department will reconsider its move."
Small and Medium Entrpreneurs Association (Southern Johor) president Teh Kee Sin said he did not know the objective of the department's move.
"If they were going to change it so soon, why did they implement it six months ago?
"This shows there was no proper or comprehensive study on the matter in the first place."
Here's the extract from the article.
Singaporeans must fill in 'white cards' again
Singaporeans will have to fill in embarkation and disembarkation forms from Wednesday when they enter or leave Malaysia through the Causeway and the Second Link.
This means Immigration clearance will take a longer time at both the entry and exit points as Immigration Department officers will have to spend more time verifying their forms and passports.
Since Jan 20 this year, Singaporeans were exempted from filling in the forms, popularly known as the "white cards", when visiting Malaysia through the land entry points. All they had to do was to hand over their passports for verification and scanning.
The move, which was well received by Singaporeans, was aimed at easing traffic flow at the border points and promoting tourism and retail activities.
Obviously, scrapping the exemption will mean longer queues at Immigration checkpoints, especially during weekends or public holidays.
Priscilla Gwee, 32, a marketing executive in Singapore, said she liked to shop and dine and visit relatives and friends in Johor Baru almost every weekend.
"Immigration clearance has been very fast since the Malaysian Immigration did away with the forms in January. The average clearance time for a fully occupied car is about 30 seconds.
"We were happy about this measure to facilitate Singaporean travellers. Now, the whole thing is being cancelled barely six months after its implementation.
"It is like repeating the problems of the past when we had to wait in long queues for Immigration clearance. I will observe how bad the queues are next weekend. If it is bad, I will enter Johor Baru less often."
Another Singaporean, Saufi Kamaruddin, an information technology sales assistant, said he was surprised that the Malaysian government had reversed its policy and this would make travelling more troublesome.
"I enter Malaysia almost every week to dine and shop for groceries with my wife and children.
"We were getting so used to entering the country without filling in the white cards for the past six months. Now, we have to start filling the cards again. Immigration clearance will be more time consuming from Wednesday."
Immigration officers stationed at both checkpoints confirmed the new rule. However, they do not know the reason for it.
Johor Immigration director Nasri Ishak could not be reached for comment.
Johor Tourist Guide Association chairman Jimmy Leong said he was only informed about the new ruling early this week. He questioned the Immigration Department's reason for making life difficult for Singaporeans coming here.
"This is going to affect their arrivals. Eventually, many sectors will suffer, tourism among them.
"We should make life easier for our guests, not the other way round. I hope the department will reconsider its move."
Small and Medium Entrpreneurs Association (Southern Johor) president Teh Kee Sin said he did not know the objective of the department's move.
"If they were going to change it so soon, why did they implement it six months ago?
"This shows there was no proper or comprehensive study on the matter in the first place."
Maybe tat explain everything? :p
