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KUCHING, June 30: Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) Minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing has claimed that Immigration Department officers were “changing Malaysia’s law at will” while performing their duties at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 1 (KLIA 1).
He thus called on the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to carry out a mass investigation on personnel working at this international entrance gateway.
“I feel it is high time the MACC team entered KLIA 1 en masse to investigate what is happening at the country’s main gateway.
“There is also the issue of foreign tourists arriving here having their cell phones confiscated, without explaining why they were detained. Does it follow the procedures and standards of law?
“I also got information that there are officers who change our legislation at will while in the field.
“In fact, the woman who was detained was also not given proper food while detained and this is clearly against the law. I understand that the woman was fed only once during the 15 hours of her detention,” said Tiong in a press statement today.
The Bintulu MP denied allegations of him releasing the foreign woman who was detained by the immigration authorities.
He said he knew better and would not jeopardise his own reputation by doing so.
“I vehemently deny the allegations that accuse me of releasing foreign tourist detained by the immigration authorities.
“I have no authority for that, and I would only damage my own reputation if I did so. I am still sane and know the limits as a minister of Motac,” said Tiong, who is also Dudong assemblyman.
Tiong was responding to a news report that a minister had broken into the international arrival hall of KLIA without an authorisation pass to free a Mainland Chinese woman who was denied entry and detained by the Malaysia Immigration Department yesterday.
The report claimed that when he was stopped, he abused his ministerial powers, including telling off the KLIA Relief Police and immigration officers.
The report said the incident has been viral online and this was the third time the minister has taken such actions involving visitors who were denied entry and detained by the Immigration Department.
Admitting that it was him who was reported in the news, Tiong raised doubt if the incident was blown out of proportion because “there are a few officials who are afraid that this matter may be exposed and affect their personal interests”.
“What actually happened is that she (the mainland Chinese woman) was detained without being given a reason. Problems arose when both the immigration officers and the foreign tourists have communication problems.
“It was informed that the tourist had completed all the documentation but the failure of communication between the two parties prevented the Immigration Department from obtaining the necessary documents from her,” said Tiong.
Here, Tiong brought up his earlier suggestions that translators for foreign tourists from the Middle East, China and India should be stationed at entry gateways.
“The question arises, why did they (Immigration officers) reject the translators provided by Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAB)?”
Believing that the picture which has gone viral is clearly taken by someone from the Immigration Department, he urged the Malaysia Multimedia Communication Commission (MCMC) to investigate and to determine the source of what he termed to be slander and accusations.
“Although their intentions are unknown, it is likely that they were surprised by MACC’s participation and worried that their ‘source of income’ would be cut off or threatened.
“It is also possible that they want to protect their friends by deliberately leaking information, making baseless accusations and spreading false reports,” said Tiong. — DayakDaily
