Planning a trip with friends is often… hard. Conversations in group chats about planned journeys rarely translate to action. But once in a blue moon, God gives a group of friends a chance. Until he takes it back!
Recently, four young Malaysian men planned a five-day trip to Seoul, South Korea. But their plans of touring the city were halted and eventually cancelled because they were held by airport immigration authorities! The four shared their sad story with the public.
According to MStar, the quartet had all the necessary documentation to be able to tour the country. They had even booked return flights, hotel rooms, a modem for Wi-Fi, and everything else months before their arrival. “We got held back as soon as we arrived at the Immigration check counter. The questions asked were also very strange and unexpected,” said Mohamad Asraf Fauzi, one of the men.
Because almost everything was confiscated by Immigration – including their luggage and passports – the group was not able to buy anything for nourishment. They were only offered cupcakes and orange juice boxes as meals for the 2-days they were detained. They were even given a notice of entry refusal.
In an interview with MStar, the group estimated that they wasted a total of RM15,000 due to not being able to go on holiday as planned. The costs include RM3,000 for hotel room bookings, return flight tickets, daily expenses, transportation costs, and so on, that had been prepared for in advance.
“We also contacted the Malaysian embassy in Korea, but they said they couldn’t do anything because they have no authority over Immigration,” Asraf added, still confused as to why he was not allowed to enter despite having all the necessary documents.
Puteri Teja contributed to this article.
