MCBA chief explains KLIA terminal incident following viral video [WATCH]

 

Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain (centre) gestures during a press conference in Putrajaya. -NSTP/MOHD FADLI HAMZAH

PUTRAJAYA: The viral incident involving Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain occurred during a limited enforcement operation targeting foreign touts at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 on Monday.

Shuhaily said the operation on Monday was conducted after he and his team inspected MCBA's preparedness to receive visitors in conjunction with this weekend's Formula One event.

"The enforcement operation was prompted by increasing complaints and allegations involving foreign touts, as well as rising seizures at baggage inspection points.

"Having those two factors combined, I decided that day to conduct limited enforcement upstairs," he said at a press conference today.

The press conference followed the circulation of a viral video showing a man resembling Shuhaily berating two men, with one of them appearing to be grabbed forcefully by the ears.

Shuhaily said he and his officers, assisted by Avsec personnel, later detained a foreign tout and brought the individual into an Avsec baggage inspection room.

He said only MCBA and Avsec officers were supposed to be in the room when two unidentified individuals appeared and recorded him and his team interviewing the foreigner.

"Without us realising it, while I was interviewing the foreigner, two individuals whom we did not know appeared and were recording my team and me interviewing the foreigner," he said.

He said his officers then approached the two individuals, brought them forward and checked the footage they had recorded before instructing them to delete it.

"And as you can see in the clip, I gave the firmest warning, as firm as possible," he said.

Shuhaily declined to elaborate on the identities of the two people in the video, but said two police reports that had been uploaded online had revealed the identities of the two complainants.

He said the first report was made a day after the incident and another was lodged at about 5am on Sept 30.

He added that this prompted him and his team to lodge a police report over what they believed could have been an attempt to tarnish the image of MCBA and his name.

Shuhaily said that he would leave the matter for the authorities to investigate. - NST