ISKANDAR PUTERI: Heavy congestion at both land checkpoints in Johor in the past few days has been linked to tighter immigration procedures following several cases of motorcyclists slipping through without undergoing passport checks, says a state exco.
Johor works, transportation, infrastructure and communications committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the stricter standard operating procedures (SOP) were imposed at the motorcycle lanes of the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB) customs, immigration and quarantine checkpoints over the past few days.
“The congestion mainly involved users of the manual counters, which require officers to physically inspect and scan each passport.
“Manual checks take more than 30 seconds for each person, especially when immigration officers have to handle more than one passport at a time,” he told the press at the sidelines of the state assembly sitting at Kota Iskandar here on Thursday (Nov 20).
Mohamad Fazli added that the enhanced SOPs follow enforcement action reported by the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS).
“The congestion was unavoidable for now as enforcement officers needed to prevent further cases where motorcyclists bypass immigration checks.
“There were cases where people passed through the manual lane without showing their passports. This should not happen, and that is why tighter checks are necessary,” he said.
On Nov 14, AKPS reportedly said it detained 26 Malaysians who exited the country through the BSI motorcycle lane on Oct 16 without presenting their passports, which is an offence under Section 2(2) of the Passport Act 1960.
Thirteen of them were charged at the Pekan Nenas Immigrations Court and fined RM1,500 each, while three pillion riders were released with written warnings.
Another 10 offenders were convicted earlier on Nov 6 and fined RM1,000 each.
AKPS has since reminded all motorcyclists to comply with instructions at both manual and automated lanes and to ensure they report to an immigration officer without fail when entering or leaving Malaysia.
