VALIDITY PERIOD FOR VISA ON ARRIVAL MAY BE SHORTENED

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- The visa on arrival (VOA) validity period may
be shortened by several days from a month at the moment to prevent abuse, Home
Ministry Secretary-General Mahmood Adam said.

"This was among the proposal discussed at a meeting between the ministry and
representatives of various ministries today," he said when contacted.

Mahmood said 10 working papers covering issues on the VOA, foreign workers
and illegal immigrants were presented at the meeting.

All views would be collated and tabled at another meeting next week before
they were presented to Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Jan 19.

The eight-hour meeting from 9.30am was also attended, among others, by
representatives of the Tourism Ministry, Plantation Industries and Commodities
Ministry, Defence Ministry, Human Resources Ministry, International Trade and
Industry Ministry and related agencies from East Malaysia states of Sabah and
Sarawak.

Mahmood said the shorter validity period was said to be in line with the
intention to visit the country as tourists, which did not require them to be in
the country for a long period.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak revealed recently that 39,046 Indian
nationals were missing in the country after their VOA expired.

The issue received numerous feedback with some urging the government to
abolish the VOA, saying it brought more harm than good.

The VOA was introduced in 2006 in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year.
-- BERNAMA


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