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