PETALING JAYA: A man has alleged that he was told by the Immigration Department to “repent” after he sought permission to travel abroad and reunite with his same-sex partner.
The man, “Adam”, told FMT that he had made about 30 applications to leave the country since the movement control order restrictions came into force in March last year.
All the rejections were on the basis of “insufficient supporting documents” or “unnecessary travel”.
Adam said his main reason for leaving Malaysia was to make the necessary arrangements to permanently move to Europe. He applied for the My Travel Pass once again early last week.
However, he was shocked with the latest note stating his application had been rejected with an additional note: “Others – Mohon Bawa Bertaubat (“Others – please repent”).
He believed this is because one of his supporting documents had revealed that his partner was of the same sex, based on his name.
“I was not surprised that my application had been rejected again. But I was shocked when I saw the reason for the rejection, asking me to repent,” he said, adding that this was the first time he had received such an “unprofessional response”.
Adam said he had given up on applying to leave Malaysia for now, given that his destination country had also closed its borders recently. In the meantime, he said he would just look forward to getting vaccinated against the virus.
Malaysia’s borders have been closed since March last year as part of measures against Covid-19 infections.
However, Malaysians are allowed to travel on official duty to attend meetings or conferences, for business, on medical grounds or in case of emergencies.
Applicants are required to submit a copy of the invitation letter (for official visits); a doctor’s referral letter or relevant death certificate; and other supporting documents.
FMT is awaiting a response from the Immigration Department. - FMT
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