PUTRAJAYA, 10 Feb 2009: The Foreign Ministry will propose to the cabinet to impose a penalty on Malaysians who abuse the six-month visa-free travel in the United Kingdom by overstaying.
Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the penalty would be imposed on them upon their return to this country as a deterrent to them.
He said the move was in response to the UK government’s decision not to introduce visa requirement for Malaysian passport holders which it had mulled over. The decision was conveyed by Wisma Putra in a statement yesterday.
“The penalty, however, does not involve Malaysian students studying in the UK as they are given a special approval,” he told reporters, here, today.
He, however, did not elaborate on the kind of penalty to be imposed or the amount involved.
In another development, Rais said his ministry would study before making a decision on the request by Tamils in the country that the government send humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, which is facing a humanitarian crisis as a result of clashes between Sri Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Rais had earlier received a memorandum on the need for the government to send humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka.
The memorandum was handed over to him by Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S Subramaniam who was accompanied by several Indian community leaders. — Bernama
dirty says
Sultan also is one-sided and involved in politics. Such a dirty place, Malaysia is. Who wants to come back?