Checking in at the immigration counter can be quite cumbersome. Unfortunately, this lady claims things got worse when an official confiscated her passport after she “behaved rudely”.
The lady had apparently been waiting at the immigration counter when an immigration officer reprimanded her for using her phone. He ended up confiscating her passport for over 30 minutes which incensed her. However, netizens are currently in two minds over who’s in the right.
Yesterday (24th May), the lady took to TikTok to share her experience at the Sultan Abu Bakar Immigration CIQ in Johor. The video showed her walking back and forth between the immigration counter and their on-site office, consistently asking for her passport. Unfortunately, it seemed to have been to no avail as her passport was not produced. Seemingly frustrated, she finally involved a female officer to help her out.
“Sorry, miss, he did not return my passport. Either ask him to (involve a higher-up) or return my passport. I don’t want to waste any more time here,” she said. The lady could be heard insisting she had done nothing wrong as the female officer attempted to soothe her, claiming they were discussing the situation.
When she confronted the male officer at the counter again, he could faintly be heard saying: “So what?” The officer also declined to give her a reason as to why her passport had been confiscated. The female officer then intervened, claiming they were processing her passport in the system. But the lady retorted that she had been waiting over 30 minutes, and insisted it was already done.
As they still refused to return her passport, the lady claimed she would make a report. She then pointed out that as there were CCTVs around, all their actions would have been recorded. The man then told her that she was being rude. “I was not being rude, you are the one who isn’t satisfied with me!” she exclaimed.
The lady claimed that she had been listening to music on her earphones while waiting for her turn at the counter. When she walked up, she apparently turned off her music, but the officer told her she couldn’t use her phone. Despite her agreeing, the officer allegedly went on to reprimand her, claiming she respected the rules in Singapore, but not in Malaysia.
She added that she had used an Autogate in Singapore. “Then, he took my passport and now I’ve been waiting here for over 30 minutes. What did I do?” she burst out. The lady later explained in another video in Tamil, that the officers had wanted her to apologise before returning her passport. But, she eventually got it back when the officers seemingly realised she was recording them.
Netizens have since had mixed reactions towards the video. Some claim this happens all the time. “Government staff are (usually) rude,” one stated. Another claimed the statement about not being able to use their phones while at immigrations was doubtful. “What I understand is (that we) cannot take any photos and videos…” they voiced. One added this had happened to their friend a few weeks ago too.
Others however claimed that the lady should know they weren’t allowed to use earphones at the immigration counter. “You should abide (by) the rule. Anyway, be cautious,” one said. Still, several agreed that the officer also should not have withheld her passport. “(The) immigration office should act professionally, not bully (the) public. The PM Dept and KDN should investigate the unprofessional act by that officer,” one opined.
The video has since gone viral with over 370 thousand views. The lady has not given any updates nor has anything been heard from the Immigration Bureau. However, we sincerely hope action will be taken by relevant authorities to resolve the issue.
Watch the video here:
@hypemalaysia A woman claimed her passport was withheld by an immigration officer at the Sultan Abu Bakar Immigration CIQ for 30 minutes “without any reason”. (?) #Immigration #Malaysia #malaysianimmigration #fyp
Sources: TikTok, China Press
