DECISION ON VISA-FREE TRANSIT FACILITY WELCOMED

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Bernama) -- The government's decision to restore the visa-free transit facility for nationals from four countries has been welcomed as a good measure but with the hope that it will not be abused by irresponsible people.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had announced Monday that
the government would restore this facility for nationals from Bangladesh, India,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka on July 1 as it would benefit the country's tourism
sector.

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Mohd
Khalid Harun said the government should set the time-frame for the transit
period lest it be abused by the tourists.

The government must have a mechanism to handle this, he told Bernama.

Mohd Khalid said the facility would be a boost for local travel agencies
because they could offer travel packages for those on transit.


"We already have travel packages for transit tourists, for example from the
KLIA (KL International Airport) to Kuala Lumpur and back. With the visa-free
transit facility, there will be a demand for such packages," he said.

Aliran Tenteram Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd chairman Ishak Abdul Rahman
said the facility would help local travel agencies increase their income, but he
cautioned about problems in terms of security and the possibility of abuse of
the facility.

Nevertheless, he said: "If the government is restoring the facility, it must
have thought about security issues and how to overcome the problems."

Asian Famous Tours & Travel CEO SBS Pradeep Kumar said the implementation of
the new ruling would not only benefit the tour operators but also the country's
economy.

However, he too shared Ishak's fear that the initiative could be abused by
certain parties, especially those involved in human trafficking, criminals and
illegal immigrants.

"The government has to come up with special control measures to counter such
a situation," he said.

-- BERNAMA