Tighter control at 111 entry points - Hamzah

SEPANG: There are 111 active and gazetted entry points nationwide to curb the entry of illegal immigrants in the effort to break the COVID-19 infection chain, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.

He said they consisted of 54 sea, 29 air and 28 land entry points.

"What is most important since the Movement Control Order last year (at these entry points) is to restrict the entry of illegal immigrants.

"(They) can enter but according to standard operating procedures (SOP) set. We want to be extra vigilant to ensure that whatever documents they may have are all valid," he said after a walkabout at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), here, today.

"We do not want (cases) whereby these foreigners (claim) to have a My Travel Pass (but) when they arrive here (Malaysia), there is no approval.

Hamzah said foreigners who enter the country will undergo COVID-19 screening, scan the MySejahtera QR code and taken by the National Disaster Management Agency to undergo the quarantine process.

Those who try to enter the country via rat trails will be asked to turn back, he said.

In a separate development, he said there were weaknesses identified in the monitoring process at KLIA, including the possibility of fake My Travel passes.

"While onboard, they claim to have approved My Travel passes. But upon arriving in (Malaysia), they can't produce it.

"So this is a scam, we want to rectify this weakness (by using a 'proper' QR code) to make sure it is all valid before they get on the plane," he said.

In addition, he said, a special lane should be set up for those from abroad to go directly to the entrance for immigration checks.

"This is to ensure that those who get off the plane do not meet anyone in certain places (to prevent the spread of COVID-19). All these we will try to improve," he said.

-- BERNAMA