‘Blacklist status check’ kiosks to be placed in KLIA

SEPANG: Almost 800,000 Malaysians are blacklisted and barred from leaving the country.

Three kiosks have been installed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to allow Malaysians to check whether they have been barred from travelling before they get to Immigration control.

“We have launched these kiosks so that those who want to check their immigration status can do so with ease,” Immigration Department director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali told a press conference at KLIA yesterday.

These kiosks are part of the department’s value-added service to the public.

“We don’t want passengers to find out that they will be stuck at Immigration counters (at passport control).

“Since the kiosks are positioned outside, they can check first. If they are on the blacklist, they can call (the relevant agency blacklisting them) and resolve the issue,” he said.

Mustafar hopes that the kiosks, which are offered through a public-private partnership with Datasonic Group Bhd, will ease congestion at Immigration counters caused by travellers who find out at the last minute that they are barred from leaving the country.

“There are 790,186 Malaysians who have been blacklisted.

“This means if any of them try to go through passport control, they will be stopped,” he said, adding that so far, most were blacklisted because of a failure to repay National Higher Education Fund Corporation loans.

The kiosks are placed at a high-visibility area so that travellers can spot them easily.

The department is also talking to Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd to introduce the kiosks at KLIA2 as well as other airports in the country.

“For KLIA2, we estimate that the kiosks will be ready in a month,” he said.

With enough funds, the department also intends to introduce the kiosks at other entry and exit points such as Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah and the Sultan Iskandar Building in Johor.

Mustafar said that as of yesterday afternoon, about 200 people tried out the self-check kiosks.

On another matter, the department will open more counters at KLIA and KLIA2 to handle more travellers during the school holiday period.

“As we know, during school holidays and festivities, there will be more passengers,” Mustafar said, adding that during peak hours, the department would try to clear the queues in 30 to 40 minutes.

During peak hours, the department will also try to ensure all 42 entry and 54 exit counters at KLIA are open.