Singaporean Couple Allegedly Banned from Malaysia for Six Months Over Passport Stamping Dispute

A Singaporean couple allegedly received a six-month ban from entering Malaysia after raising objections to the way an immigration officer stamped their passports. Abdul Qayyuum Rahim detailed this strenuous ordeal in a Facebook post.

Mr. Rahim recounted the unpleasant experience he and his wife underwent while entering Johor Bahru, Malaysia, through the Tuas Checkpoint. They had to endure about an hour-long wait at customs, leading to an understandably sour mood. The situation was further worsened when an immigration officer allegedly demanded in an impolite tone that they remove their passport covers before stamping.

What they found absolutely unacceptable was that the officer had left a blank page on his passport, and on his wife’s passport, the stamp was scratched off with a pen post-stamping. They expressed their dissatisfaction and attempted to lodge a complaint against the officer responsible. However, they were met with indifference and mockery from another officer.

Eventually, they were escorted to an office on the second level, where a female officer of Assistant Superintendent rank allegedly issued them a “Notice of Refusal Of Entry,” declaring them as “prohibited immigrants” and banning them from entering West Malaysia for the next six months.

The incident sparked widespread attention on social media. However, public opinion on Mr. Rahim’s experience is divided. Some questioned the necessity to take issue with the stamping procedure, stating that being granted entry into a country should be enough. Others shared similar experiences but expressed their lack of received sympathy.

Moreover, a comment from a purported eyewitness added more complexity to the incident. This witness claimed to be at the same place at the same time and observed the couple’s argument with the female officer. She stated that the couple seemed to be provoking the officer, leading to her raising her voice to quell them.

As of now, there has been no official response regarding the incident.

新加坡夫妇因质疑马来西亚入境程序被禁入境半年

新加坡一对夫妇质疑马来西亚入境官员的盖章程序后,据称遭禁止进入马来西亚六个月。Abdul Qayyuum Rahim 在 Facebook 上分享了这段体验,这使他们的旅程变得极为艰辛。

Rahim先生详细描述了他和妻子在通过 Tuas 检查站进入马来西亚新山的过程中的不愉快经历。他们在海关等待了大约一个小时,让他们的心情降至低谷。然而更糟糕的是,一位入境官员在他们盖章的过程中以粗鲁的口吻要求他们取下护照封面。

更令他们无法接受的是,入境官员在他的护照上留下了空白页,而在他妻子的护照上盖章后又用笔刮掉了印章。他们对此表示不满,并试图对盖章的官员提出投诉,但遭到了另一名官员的冷淡和嘲讽。

最后,他们被带到了二楼的一个办公室,在那里,一位Assistant Superintendent级别的女性官员据称给他们发出了一封名为“入境拒绝通知”的信,宣布他们因为是“禁止入境的移民”,在接下来的六个月内被禁止进入西马来西亚。

这起事件引起了社交媒体的广泛关注,然而,对于Rahim先生的遭遇,公众的看法并不一致。有些人质疑为何要对入境官员如何盖章你的护照提出质疑,他们说只要你被允许进入国家就已经足够好了。另一些人则表示,他们也有类似的经历,但是并没有得到应有的同情。

此外,还有一条评论来自一个声称在现场的目击者。这位目击者说她在同一时间也在二楼,并看到了这对夫妇与女性官员的争吵。她说这对夫妇似乎在挑衅女性官员,直到她不得不提高声音来平息他们。这个目击者的说法使得这起事件变得更加复杂。

对于这起事件,尚未有官方的回应。

Severe Congestion at Both Checkpoints, Vehicles Wait for Hours Heading to Malaysia

Ahead of the Good Friday long weekend, Singaporean drivers heading to Malaysia faced heavy traffic congestion at both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, leading to travel delays. This time, both checkpoints heading into Johor experienced heavy traffic, with congestion even affecting the departure points in Singapore. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) warned travelers to expect delays and advised them to check traffic conditions before setting off.

Real-time camera footage showed heavy traffic congestion at both checkpoints on Thursday afternoon. Estimated travel times using the Beat The Jam app indicated that travelers heading to Johor at the Causeway could expect to spend between four to six hours to enter Malaysia, while crossing at Tuas would likely take between three to five hours.

This year, Good Friday falls on April 7th and is a public holiday in Singapore. Another possible reason for the traffic congestion could be the Qing Ming Festival, which began on April 5th. In earlier updates, the ICA mentioned that there was heavy traffic entering Johor at both checkpoints and advised travelers to check traffic conditions before embarking on their journey to Malaysia.

Due to the Qing Ming Festival and Good Friday weekend, heavy traffic at the land checkpoints is expected to continue. The ICA reminded those planning to cross the land checkpoints between April 3rd and April 11th by car or bus to factor in additional time for immigration clearance. Over one million travelers crossed the land checkpoints during the Good Friday weekend in 2019.