KUALA LUMPUR: Transport Minister Anthony Loke today said that every minister has a VIP pass to enter prohibited areas at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Loke said this after Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing had allegedly entered the immigration counters at the airport recently, to "rescue" a Chinese national who was detained upon entering the country.
He also explained there was no breach of security protocol as ministers were allowed to enter the area even if they were not boarding a flight.
"When he was at KLIA, he was accompanied by auxiliary police officers and Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd (MAHB) security personnel.
"As far as the security pass is concerned, it is not an issue as every minister has a VIP pass to enter the airport.
"Yesterday, I was at the airport not to catch a flight but for a flight launch. I entered the prohibited areas such as the departure hall and such," news portal Malaysiakini reported.
Loke said this to the reporters after chairing the Negri Sembilan DAP state committee meeting at its headquarters in Seremban today.
On Thursday, a news portal cited a source claiming that a minister had breached security protocols and stormed the immigration counter to "rescue tourists".
Yesterday, Tiong confirmed that he was the minister reported to have entered KLIA Terminal 1's arrival hall.
He, however, denied that he was there to demand that the authorities release a female tourist from China.
He said his visit was carried out to expose corrupt activities at the country's main gateway.
Meanwhile, elaborating on the matter, Loke said he was not sure what exactly happened at that time as he was not there with Tiong and there was no CCTV footage of the incident.
Loke said according to the MAHB report, Tiong was accompanied by security personnel at the airport during the time he was at the airport.
He was also accompanied by security personnel when he left the airport.
"Other than that, the Home Ministry will conduct a detailed investigation and discuss it at the ministerial level."