Saarc expats need not apply for visa to enter Malaysia

Malaysia yesterday clarified that South Asian expatriates living in Middle Eastern countries do not need to apply for visa in advance for entering Malaysia.

"South Asian nationals from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives working or living in the Middle East are not required to apply for visa to Malaysia. They will get visa upon arrival at the port of entry," said Dato Abdul Kadir bin Sheikh Fadzir, Malaysian Minister of Culture, Arts and Tourism, at a meeting in Dubai yesterday.

"One needs to produce the residence or employment visa or permit at the airport, to avail Malaysian visa," he said.

He said, the decision was taken earlier to boost the tourist inflow from the Middle East. However, most South Asian expatriate residents could not avail this opportunity due to lack of proper information.

"Our government had taken this decision a year ago and this had been effective from then. However, due to lack of proper communication, our offices could not implement this fully," he added.

He said, the decision also includes the nationals of China.

A total of 12.5 million tourists visited Malaysia last year, up from 10.2 million in 2000. The Middle East's contribution to Malaysian tourism was 120,000 last year, up from 50,000.

He informed that Malaysian embassy and consulate in the UAE will soon take initiative to coordinate with all tour operators to circulate this among the public.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines System (MAS) is undergoing a massive corporate restructuring programme, the minister said.

"Our government has recently bought back controlling stake in the airlines and has initiated administrative reform to make it more effective and profitable. As a result, we had to temporarily suspend flights to some destinations and routes."