Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail denied claims that 1.2 million Chinese tourists entered Malaysia and did not leave again.
On the other hand, he said the number of tourists from the republic with social visit passes who are still in the country is 84,817 people, with the total number of Chinese tourist arrivals for the period from 1 January 2018 to 30 November 2018 being 8,491,653 people and the departure of 8,012,294 people.
He said the remaining 479,359 people who did not leave Malaysia included individuals with long-term passports totaling 129,005, deported for offenses under certain acts totaling 5,359 and special passport applications totaling 141,783 in addition to individuals who are in the Depot of the Malaysian Immigration Department.
"So the number of individuals with social visit passes who have not left (from Malaysia) is 84,817 out of a total of 8,491,653 total arrivals.
"So let's stop the allegation of 1.2 million not coming out, the allegation that the KDN approved citizens wholesale...that's a very terrible slander...it's better to stop it," he said when wrapping up the debate on the basic level of the Supply Bill 2025 (Budget 2025). in the House of Representatives, today.
Saifuddin Nasution said Malaysia uses a digital arrival card method that allows national enforcement to track overstaying tourists and submit a list of their names to the relevant country's embassy.
He said the issue was also discussed with his counterpart when he visited China before.
"When I visited China, I brought up this problem. My counterpart minister told me that if his people leave even if they violate the laws of the country they are going to, they can still be prosecuted and our actions are a blacklist," he said.
He also denied the claim that a total of 1.2 million Chinese citizens were given Malaysian citizenship and explained that the number of citizens of the republic who were granted citizenship in accordance with Article 15(1) of the Federal Constitution was 103 people since 2013.
He explained that the granting of citizenship to Chinese citizens involves the category of foreign husbands who marry local women and foreign wives who marry local husbands.
"This is a frenzy out there (accusations) for citizens wholesale... to play with sentiments. That's why when reports are made to play with those sentiments, we know... I have a number of records of police reports.
"Which leader is playing this issue outside in the mosque, in the surau. That's why the police opened an investigation under the 3R (king, race, religion)... without the responsibility of playing with sentiment because (related to) China. Now let the data speak," he said. .
-- BERNAMA
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