VIPs and celebs placed in travel blacklist

VIPs and celebs placed in travel blacklist
By IWAN SHU-ASWAD SHUAIB
iwan@thestar.com.my

Saturday August 7, 2010


PUTRAJAYA: Dignitaries carrying titles like Tan Sri, Datuk Seri and Datuk and famous celebrities are among close to half a million Malaysians barred from leaving the country for various reasons.

And most of them, including the high-profile individuals, are barred because they are either bankrupt or have tax-related problems.

Immigration Department security division director Ibrahim Abdullah told mStar, The Star’s Malay language news portal, that 424,653 Malaysians cannot leave the country.

This is the latest figure given by the department, which received feedback from 13 regulatory agencies and government departments.

“Believe it or not, those banned include individuals carrying titles like Tan Sri, Datuk Seri and Datuk.

“Famous celebrities and high-profile individuals are also on the list,” he said yesterday.

He added that there was no exception or discrimination in the blacklist.

“The department has been instructed to act on behalf of these 13 agencies.

“Therefore, it is our responsibility to stop those who have been blacklisted,” he said.

Ibrahim said the majority of those banned (196,473 persons or 46%) were names forwarded by the Insolvency Department, followed by the Inland Revenue Board (79,621 people or 19%) for having unresolved tax-related matters and 58,138 others or 14% were banned by the Immigration Department itself for breaching immigration laws.

“This includes those who had overstayed in other countries, failed to pay levy or taxes for foreign workers and also criminals,” Ibrahim added.

He said 46,887 youths aged between 25 and 35 were also blacklisted for not repaying their National Higher Education Fund Corporation loans.

Police banned 9,405 people from leaving the country for involvement in criminal activities while the Customs Department and the courts banned 3,730 and 683 persons, respectively.

The Immigration Department has issued 11.28 million international passports since 2000, 920,000 of them this year alone.

“Those on the blacklist have not been taking matters seriously and realise that they have been barred only when they want to travel abroad,” he said, adding that the department would not be able to lift the ban unless they clear pending matters with the respective agencies.

He said, however, that the department could help them file an appeal.

Ibrahim advised the public to make the necessary preparations and update their details at the department’s website www.imi.gov.my.

Among the other agencies that provided names to be blacklisted are the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Bank Negara Malaysia, Securities Commission, Employees Provident Fund and Prisons Department.