On March 18, the movement control order (MCO) came into effect in Malaysia, effectively closing the borders of the country to everyone except to citizens returning from abroad.
However, 38-year-old Ratna Hartawan and her family did not know that those holding a "Malaysia My Second Home" (MM2H) visa would also not be allowed to enter the country.
Thus, the family of three – Ratna, her 52-year-old husband Hartawan and their 10-year-old daughter – have been stuck in Pattaya, Thailand for the past 49 days.
Ratna and her family are from Indonesia but have been residing in Johor under the MM2H programme since 2017.
They had planned a one-week holiday in Pattaya beginning March 15 and only brought with them four pairs of clothes each, limited cash and one credit card.
“It was planned since January and it’s a kind of promise to my daughter. We take her travelling every school holiday. My husband is retired so he always takes the school holidays as an opportunity to travel.
“We chose Thailand because we noticed Thailand did not have a significant issue with Covid-19 (at that time),” she told Malaysiakini via WhatsApp today.
When Malaysia closed its borders on March 18, Ratna and her family found themselves running out of cash fast.
This is a dire situation for them as Ratna’s husband suffers from diabetes and hyperthyroidism and they could not access the medication he needs. He has also lost five kilogrammes since this ordeal began.
“The first month, we faced difficulties in buying medicines because we are not familiar with the place.
“By the time we managed to get the medicines, we were lacking in cash. We are really living so miserably,” she said, noting that their funds were all in Malaysia but they do not have access to it as they did not bring their ATM card with them.
Ratna acknowledged that they had made some unwise decisions after they realised they were stuck in Thailand. As they initially thought the MCO would only last two weeks, they had purchased a flight back to Malaysia on April 1 which was later cancelled.
They had also initially stayed at a hotel where they were paying 1,500 Thai baht per day for the first month. When they realised it could take some time before the MCO was lifted, they moved to a monthly rental apartment.
Ratna said they hoped they would be allowed to return to Malaysia soon, adding that they have migrated permanently to Johor.
“We bought a house (in Johor) worth above RM1 million and we bought cars. We deposited money for 10 years. We feel miserable and we feel like our rights as human beings have been taken away because Malaysia is our only home,” she said.
Ratna also said she had tried e-mailing the MM2H programme and the Immigration Department director-general on when they could return. She had also detailed her husband’s medical condition to the director-general in her plea.
In their reply, an MM2H officer had told her all expatriates, including MM2H visa holders, could only return after the MCO is lifted while the Immigration director-general said her request could not be considered until after the MCO.
Ratna said they contacted the Malaysian embassy in Bangkok and the consulate at Songkhla, Thailand, and managed to borrow some cash from them. This was after they tried contacting the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the consulate in Johor Bahru.
“They can’t help us. The Indonesian embassy is very passive and less sympathetic,” she said.
The MM2H programme is a government initiative under the Tourism Ministry launched in 2002 that aims to attract foreign expatriates to invest in Malaysia as a serious option for migration.
The MM2H residency is a renewable 10-year, multiple-entry visa that provides incentives for property purchases and education among others.
Previously, Malaysiakini highlighted the plight of an American couple who are also MM2H visa holders and who was stuck in Thailand as well.
In an update, the wife told Malaysiakini today that they had just paid another month's rent for their house in Penang, Malaysia despite not having been there since March.
On top of that, she said they are still paying rent and other living expenses while in Thailand, adding that her medication costs were double.
“Each passing day gets me more upset and angry […] there is nothing we can do. The government can keep us out for the rest of the year. They are not even trying to systematically bring us home.
“I am fed up,” she said.
Senior minister Ismail Sabri had said in his press conference today that MM2H visa holders will be allowed back into Malaysia eventually.
"I believe one day they will return. Their return will be the same as our citizens who return from overseas (where they will be) subject to a 14-day quarantine," he said.
Malaysiakini has attempted to contact Tourism Minister Nancy Shukri as well as Ismail Sabri for clarification on this matter and is awaiting their response. - Mkini
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