JOHOR BARU: Chaos erupted at major entry points across Malaysia as tens of thousands of foreign travellers were left stranded for hours following a massive nationwide failure of the automatic gate system.
Long queues were reported at KL International Airport and land border crossings, particularly in Johor, where many Singaporeans were caught in the gridlock at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complexes.
“I never expected to be stuck here for almost four hours,” said a Singaporean traveller, known as Tan, who was among the thousands stuck at the BSI checkpoint.
“The authorities should have had a backup system, especially during the weekend when many of us travel to Johor for leisure and shopping.”
Another Singaporean, Siti, said she had to postpone a family outing as a result.
“My elderly parents have knee problems and can’t stand for long. With the autogates, we usually clear immigration in 15 minutes,” she said.
The disruption, described by officials as the worst in recent years, began around noon on Friday and affected more than 200 autogate machines nationwide.
Foreign passport holders were unable to clear immigration via the automated lanes, while Malaysian passport holders continued to pass through without issues.
The MyBorderPass system for Malaysians also remained functional.
The Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), in a statement, said the failure was due to a data integration disruption, leading to cross-checking delays within the MyIMMs.
As a result, autogates used by foreigners were rendered inoperable.
The agency said all manual immigration counters were activated and additional manpower was deployed.
Johor works, transportation and infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said he had spoken to the Immigration Department director-general about the issue.
“It appears the glitch is linked to the Interpol screening system used for foreign nationals. We’ve never experienced a breakdown of this scale before,” he told The Star.
“We’ve received numerous complaints, and we will be holding a meeting to see how we can better manage this situation.”
At the BSI complex alone, there are 39 autogates for exits and 29 for entry, while KSAB has 12 in operation.
As of press time, some of the autogates were already coming back online in stages nationwide, and foreigners have been able to use them since 4.30pm yesterday.
A security official said it would take some time before all the autogates are fully operational.
Meanwhile, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who made a surprise visit to the BSI complex, expressed disappointment over the system disruption, which lasted for more than 24 hours.
“Operations at the country’s border checkpoints have yet to reach the level of efficiency we expect,” he said.
Onn Hafiz added that such incidents not only inconvenience the public but also affect the image of the state and the nation.
Since June 1, 2024, visitors from 63 countries, as well as diplomats serving in Malaysia and their family members, have been eligible to use the autogates for faster clearance.
The AKPS has assured the public that they are working closely with the Immigration Department to identify and resolve the root cause as soon as possible.
