VISA ON ARRIVAL WILL NOT BE REPEALED

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- The government does not propose to do away
with the visa-on arrival (VOA) facility eventhough there were quarters that
misuse it. This step was to boost the country's tourism industry.

Deputy Home Minister, Abu Seman Yusop, said the government had its ways to
overcome security issues arising from the misuse of the facility.

"When it comes to national security we know how to respond, like suspending
the VOA facility for certain countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, as
many of their nationals flout the facility," he said in Parliament Thursday.

He was replying to a question by a Member of Parliament who wanted to know
how many foreigners overstayed in the country and if the government proposed to
repeal the VOA facility.

Abu Seman said from 2006 till Aug 2009, 75,462 persons out of 271,391 people
issued visas on arrival, that is 28 per cent, overstayed.

Answering a supplementary question by another Member of Parliament, he said
the Immigration Department constantly carried out spot-checks on the addresses
that foreigners provided when they registered for an entry pass.

Raime wanted to know if the Immigration Department had a data-base to weed
out foreigners who flouted Malaysian laws.
-- BERNAMA