Fine-tuning of entry procedures needed, says Loke in wake of Immigration incident

BATANG KALI: Further discussions are needed to improve the immigration procedures for foreign tourists entering Malaysia, says Anthony Loke.

The Transport Minister said that the findings from the alleged instance of corruption at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) will be discussed at Cabinet level, as mentioned by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a surprise visit to the Immigration and Customs counters at KLIA on Sunday (July 2).

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“Issues involving integrity warrant serious attention as we do not want our country’s image to be tarnished, especially among tourists.

“For Malaysia, which has a big tourism industry, image is very important and we don’t want tourists to have any bad experiences.

“At the same time, I stress that there is no compromise on national security but we need a balance to ensure our entry points are still tourist-friendly,” he said after launching the MyPSV programme here on Monday (July 3).

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Anwar’s surprise visit came after Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing highlighted an incident where a tourist from China had claimed she was held up when entering Malaysia and asked to pay to be allowed to enter the country.

Tiong said he had to step in to help the employee of a China-based media company after she arrived from Shenzhen on Thursday (June 29).

The woman had alleged that although her travel documents were in order, she was denied entry by Immigration officers.

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She claimed that she was asked to pay several thousand ringgit if she wanted to be allowed in.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki also said it would launch a probe into allegations of corruption.