So many bad things can happen at an airport, from delayed flights to violent passengers. However, the abuse of powers by airport officials against minorities might the worst of all. There have been so many recorded cases of officers belittling foreigners simply because they’re outsiders – so imagine our shock when news broke out about an local immigration officer who punched a foreigner for entering the country while having Not To Land (NTL) status.
Not To Land, more commonly known as NTL, refers to a passenger who has been denied entry to certain countries because of various reasons. Usually, when an NTL is set in order, the government is in charge of sending the individual back to their home country. It’s a standard practice followed by immigration authorities in Malaysia to ensure the safety of our country and eliminate illegal immigrants.
Based on the screen grabs above, we can see the officer hitting the traveller in the face. The irrational behaviour caught the attention of netizens and they immediately commented on how the worker handled the situation, saying it was unprofessional. Many argued that, even if the man had NTL status, he shouldn’t be treated as a lesser human being.
The Minister of Transport of Malaysia (MOT), Anthony Loke, spoke up about this incident yesterday (20th November). The politician clarified that the officer was under “AeroDarat” which is the ground handler for the Malaysian Aviation Group (MAG). “He stated that he was provoked by the NTL passenger, which caused the physical contact and harsh words between the two. It doesn’t matter what happened; we can’t justify the officer’s actions” the minister added. While this incident infuriated many, several people stood up for the workers.
Unfortunately, commenters also point out that the minister would never voice out this issue if the staff was Chinese, claiming favouritism. We aren’t too sure about what happened to the foreigner, but the worker has allegedly been suspended from all duties. We hope both sides are served with the justice they deserve.
Watch the videos regarding the incident below:
May contributed to this article.
