The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday downplayed an incident in which a Taiwanese woman was detained for 35 hours by Malaysian customs for traveling with a damaged passport, saying the practice is standard procedure.
The woman, nicknamed Chiao Mei (喬妹), took to Facebook on Saturday last week to share her ordeal, saying that because of some damaged inner pages of her passport she was denied entry and subjected to improper treatment by Malaysian customs after she arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Thursday last week.
“Those pages were torn by Japanese customs when they tried to rip off tax free forms stapled in my passport. Because of that, Malaysian customs officers gave me a hard time, escorting me to an office before confiscating my passport and mobile phone,” Chiao Mei wrote.
Photo: CNA
She claimed that a male officer also demanded money from her, adding that her refusal to comply resulted in her being locked up for 35 hours before she was finally deported to Taiwan.
Citing as examples of what she called the Malaysian customs’ inhumane treatment of tourists, Chiao Mai said another Taiwanese woman was also detained because she mistakenly showed customs officers the plane ticket from her previous trip to Malaysia, while a Vietnamese woman was slapped in the face by an official over a minor incident.
In response, the ministry said it is part of the standard procedures for Malaysian customs to put tourists who are denied entry in a holding lounge if they cannot board a flight back home on the day of their arrival.
“Nearly 1.5 million passengers pass through Kuala Lumpur International Airport each month. Among them, as many as between 10 and 100 are denied entry every day,” the ministry said, adding that the Malaysian customs’ handling of Chiao Mei was standard procedure rather than personal.
It urged the public to check for any damage to their passport before traveling to avoid being refused admission at the point of entry.
Dato’ Seri Tiong King Sing, the Malaysian prime minister’s special envoy to East Asia, yesterday said on Facebook that Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was furious after hearing about the incident because it could damage the nation’s image and hurt the tourism industry.
He issued a directive for an investigation into the case.
The Taiwanese traveler should not have been detained and should not have had her mobile phone and other belongings confiscated because she was not a criminal, Tiong said, adding that customs officers should not treat passengers from any nations in such an inhumane manner.
In this case, customs officers should have let the Taiwanese woman telephone a friend in Malaysia, contact Taiwan’s representative office or have arranged for her to return to Taiwan as soon as possible, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old