KL tightens entry for Africans

KL tightens entry for Africans

MALAYSIA: Citing security concerns, Malaysia has tightened entry
requirements for African citizens, a government official said on
Friday.

Nationals of all African countries except South Africa must
now obtain a visa to travel to Malaysia. Previously, all Africans
were given visa-free stays of up to three months.

Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung was quoted in the New
Straits Times newspaper as saying that an increase in crimes
committed by Africans in Malaysia, especially in the capital
Kuala Lumpur, was behind the new measure.

About 4,000 Africans enter Malaysia legally every month, but
they often overstay and work illegally, officials say. Many
others enter the country illegally at the porous northern
overland border with Thailand in search of better-paying jobs.

Chor proposed the clampdown in February, after 149 Africans
escaped on the way to a detention center for illegal immigrants
east of Kuala Lumpur. Most were re-arrested within hours. --AP