Malaysia tightens policy to prevent country from becoming transit hub for terrorists

The Malaysian government is looking at measures to tighten its immigration policy to prevent foreign terrorists from using the country as a transit hub, Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Wednesday (Nov 6).

The minister was responding to reporters who had approached him at the Parliament lobby, asking for comment on a statement by counterterrorism official Ayob Khan.

Ayob Khan had said at a conference on Tuesday that Malaysia was the “first choice” for terrorists because those coming from Middle Eastern countries and some African nations did not require a visa to enter, The Star reported.

He also said that since 2013, a total of 38 foreign terrorists who had used Malaysia as a transit point had been detained and deported.

“Currently, most foreigners wishing to enter Malaysia only need to have a passport and if the passport is not considered to originate from countries that have problems, they can easily come in,” said Muhyiddin.

“We only impose the visa for specific reasons, that is the regulation that we have. No matter what, we have to study in terms of this immigration policy,” he added.

Source: Channel News Asia