KUALA LUMPUR – Ministers have special access to security areas in KLIA as they have VIP passes, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
As such, ministers are permitted to enter these spaces for official work purposes, even when they are not taking a flight.
He said that he was present at one of the airport’s departure halls for a launch last Friday, but was not required to obtain a pass as he already had one.
Loke was responding to an incident where a minister had allegedly breached safety protocols and “barged” past immigration counters to “rescue” a Chinese tourist from being detained by authorities.
The tourist, who is an employee of a China-based media company, claimed she was denied entry by immigration officers, despite her travel documents being in order.
The minister involved in the incident was later revealed to be Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) confirmed that Tiong was at the airport, accompanied by auxiliary policemen and security personnel, Loke said.
Nonetheless, Loke said he cannot confirm what had happened as he was not present during the incident, and there were no CCTV recordings of it.
“As far as the security pass is concerned, there is no issue here as he can access the area,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.
“The MAHB report said the minister was accompanied by security personnel when he entered the airport and left.
“This is more of an immigration issue, and the Home Ministry will carry out an investigation,” he added.
Tiong justified his actions, saying it was customary for ministers to conduct such visits to better understand situations relating to the arrival of foreign tourists in Malaysia.
He claimed that several immigration officers demanded bribes of up to RM3,000 from the detained tourists to be released and sent back to their home countries.
The incident went viral on social media after the minister entered the arrival hall without obtaining a safety pass.
Following the incident, Umno Youth chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh said the claims made by Tiong against the immigration officers were false, and accused him of abuse of power.
Akmal also raised several concerns so the people could “receive full disclosure” on what had happened.
He asked whether the “Not to Land” notice on the detained woman was due to incomplete documents, whether it was withdrawn after a third-party intervention, and what was the rationale behind it – if the notice was withdrawn.
Subsequently, Tiong censured Akmal for not knowing the incident’s full story and relying on social media for information.
Tiong demanded an apology from Akmal for jumping to conclusions without obtaining more information about the incident. – The Vibes, July 1, 2023
