[VIDEO] Amid long queues at Immigration’s Pudu office, guards threaten to remove media from premises

KUALA LUMPUR – It was a tense situation at the Immigration Department in the Pudu Urban Transformation Centre here as crowds who had been waiting since early morning were told at 11am to come back another day.

Security guards also threatened two reporters who was there to speak to the crowds, telling them they had to leave the premises or more guards would be called to escort her out.

JUST IN

Two reporters from The Vibes were subjected to a barrage of verbal intimidation and threats at the @imigresenmy office in UTC Pudu today.

The guard is heard yelling "This is UTC! Do you understand?! Get out!" despite the reporters identifying themselves as media. pic.twitter.com/IIGTFJBxYG

— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) May 14, 2022

The reporters were told that they could not take pictures nor speak to those standing in line along the corridors without formal approval.

Another guard told the reporters that photos and videos taken in the building were also not allowed without prior permission from management authorities while questioning which media agency the reporters are working for.

When asked about images posted online by members of the public, the guard could not provide an explanation, saying he was only following orders from his superiors.

Later on, the guards forcefully snatched away one of the journalists’ phone when they realised they were being recorded, while shouting at the reporters to leave.

The situation escalated when the reporters attempted to speak with members of the public only to be stopped by the guards, despite displaying government-issued media cards.

“You need permission to be here! This is UTC, do you understand?!” a guard shouted at the reporters.

The guard had also counted from one to three several times as he attempted to intimidate the reporters into leaving the premises, shouting that if they refused to vacate the area by the time he was done counting, he would call police.

“Leave now before I call the police!” he shouted amid protests from the crowd who told him to stop yelling.

Several members of the public then told off the guards and the journalist’s phone was returned.

The crowd chastised the guards, accusing them of intimidation and assault, with an individual saying: “Stop shouting! We can all be patient, why can’t you?”

One of the guards claimed that passport-issuing offices in UTCs are unable to operate up to 10pm due to “lack of approval by the Finance Ministry”.

This appears to contradict Immigration Director-General Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud’s announcement that all immigration counters at Urban Transformation Centres in the peninsula would open until 10pm on weekdays, and from 8am to 12.30 pm on Saturdays.

The guard also claimed that since the Immigration Department is a government office handling official matters, the reporters could not be in the vicinity, even if members of the public have no qualms speaking to the media.

Meanwhile, replying to The Vibes’ video on Twitter of the incident, user @jesminkaurr said that she had a similar experience with the same guard, who raised his voice and questioned her for arriving late in retrieving her passport.

He yells for no reason. I was a victim also. He asked me why I came to collect my passport late. Like who is he to ask me that? But it’s okay, I politely answered him and I told him I did not receive an email appointment as stated on immigration online terms.

— ??? ???? ?????? (@jesminkaurr) May 14, 2022

“Who is he to ask me that? I politely answered him and I told him I did not receive an email appointment as stated on immigration online terms.

“He then said very loudly ‘this is UTC and I don’t care what’s written on the paper, you should come a day after you made online payment’,” she said.

It appears that aggressive behaviour by guards at the centre is a norm, as another individual who spoke to The Vibes on the condition of anonymity recalled how a crowd of people were yelled at while a guard was waving his baton around.

This is in spite of those in line following the guards’ instructions.

“When an immigration officer came out to speak to the people queuing up, the guard shouted over him and we had difficulty hearing what the officer was trying to tell us.

“Some people approached the guard to ask questions about the process to get their passport, he was very unaccommodating and acted as if he was being accused of something,” she said.

She added that she stood in line for about four hours before securing her passport.

“The entire situation was just very chaotic and it looked like the office was understaffed.”

Another Twitter user @DashveenjitK shared tips and her experience at UTC Pudu, saying that the immigration office is closed by 5pm, not 10pm.

UTC Pudu — as opposed to what was announced two days ago — still operates only until 5pm, not 10pm. If you want faster, smoother transaction,with extended hours (yes I understand it’s hard to accommodate during working hours) I would suggest immigration offices at Putrajaya/Duta

— Dashveenjit Kaur (@DashveenjitK) May 13, 2022

“If you want faster, smoother transaction,with extended hours (yes I understand it’s hard to accommodate during working hours) I would suggest immigration offices at Putrajaya/Duta.”

She added that when she arrived at the centre half an hour before the office opened its shutters at 8am, there was already a long queue, with some individuals having brought their own plastic stools in preparation for the wait. – The Vibes, May 14, 2022

Additional reporting by Lancelot Theseira