Some African students are marrying Malaysian women to obtain citizenship status and premises licences

Ahmad Zahid: African students marrying locals for citizenship, licences

KUALA LUMPUR: Some African students are marrying Malaysian women to obtain citizenship status and premises licences, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi(pic).

The Deputy Prime Minister said these licences were the right of Malaysian nationals, but some African students married local women to gain this right.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said cooperation from state governments was necessary - particularly from local authorities - in order to identify those who abused the licences.

He was commenting on the influx of African nationals and the proposal to tighten the conditions for entry of foreign students into the country.

He also said it was unfair to label all African students in the country as criminals as only a handful were involved in crime.

"There are a few who abuse student visas to commit crimes in the country.

They enrol into the language centres but do not study... They turn their homes as laboratories to process drugs," he said at a media conference after officiating the 2016 Priority Declaration Programme 'Economy Is Our Priority', here Monday.

Ahmad Zahid said the Special Tactical Intelligence Narcotics Group (STING) and the Special Task Force On Organised Crime (Stafoc) had made a few arrests involving African nationals. - Bernama