KUALA LUMPUR: It comes as no surprise to hear of corrupt practices by Immigration officers handling foreign travellers entering Malaysia, said the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta).
Matta president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said they highlighted the misconduct to the authorities, but nothing had changed.
"There is nothing new about reports of corruption and victimisation of tourists by Immigration officers.
"These incidents involve tourists from many nationalities, not just the Chinese.
"Matta has, on several occasions, raised concerns about this as it impedes tourism stakeholders' marketing efforts.
"If there were improvements, the episode involving (Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri) Tiong (King Sing) would not have happened," he said today.
Tan was commenting on alleged corrupt practices by Immigration officers exposed by Tiong at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The matter was raised by Tiong after a female Chinese traveller claimed that she was asked to pay to secure her release from detention.
In a four-minute and 29-second video posted on his Facebook page, Tiong said he was told by the traveller that she was allegedly asked by a "three-star" ranking officer when she was going to pay up.
Tiong said the officer had asked the woman for RM3,000, which will enable her immediate release, another RM3,000 for her next re-entry into Malaysia and RM12,000 for visa-processing fees.
Tan called for a thorough, independent and transparent investigation into the alleged wrongdoings.
"The crux of the matter is whether there was any element of corruption, abuse of power or mistreatment of tourists.
"It is not about whether Tiong broke (security) protocols. That is secondary," he said, referring to claims that Tiong had barged into KLIA's arrival hall to demand the woman's release.
According to Transparency International, Tan said, Malaysia's 2022 Corruption Perception Index score dropped to 47 from 53 points in 2019.
A score of zero is perceived to be highly corrupted, and a score of 100 is perceived to be very clean.
"It is imperative that the government does all it can to uplift the image of Malaysia as a safe and attractive tourism destination by eliminating corruption at all levels, more so at KLIA, which is the main gateway," said Tan.
Moving forward, he said, it was time for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to reassess the situation in light of developments at key entry points.
He added that a review of the procedures on the handling of travellers with NTL (Not To Land) status was crucial to prevent abuses as Malaysia geared up to receive more international tourists.
"It is reassuring to know that Tiong is taking his job seriously, and we applaud him and the ministry for the initiative.
"We hope that the other ministries will work closely with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry to strengthen Malaysia's position as a key tourism destination in Southeast Asia. We also anticipate more positive changes to the industry in the coming months."