Denied entry to Malaysia
MY family and I arrived from Sydney, Australia at Kuala Lumpur (KL) International Airport, on Malaysian Airlines flight No MH 0120 around 9.30 pm on August 17, after a very enjoyable holiday in Australia. We intended to spend two days sight-seeing andmeeting friends in KL, before returning to Hong Kong on August 20 by MH flight 72. All necessary arrangements for the stay in KL had been made and we had confirmed tickets out of KL on August 20.
Contrary to the advice we were given by the Malaysian Consulate in Hong Kong, the Malaysian immigration authorities at the airport denied us visitor/transit visas on arrival. That meant we could not leave the airport and had to take the next flight out. After much persuasion by members of staff from Malaysian Airlines, the authorities finally allowed us to leave the airport around 12.45 am on August 18. However, we were to report back to the airport to take the first MH flight leaving for Hong Kong that morning at 6.45 am.
We returned to Hong Kong by Malaysian Airlines flight MH 60 via Kuching and Kota Kinabalu arriving in Hong Kong around 3.30 pm.
We hold Nepalese passports. When I asked why we were refused the visa, the immigration official's answer, delivered abruptly and rudely, was that there was ''no Transit Visa for Nepal passport''. Prior to the confirmation of our flights, we were advised by Malaysian Airlines and our travel agent, Express Travel Ltd, that Nepalese passport holders can get a week's visa on arrival at KL. I, too, personally confirmed this with the Malaysian Consulate, but did not bother to ask and record the name of the consulate official, as at the time I did not consider it necessary. Regardless, I drew the attention of the immigration officials at KL airport to the assurance I was given by the Consulate in Hong Kong. Their response was ''no comment'', ''you were misinformed''. Would the Malaysian Consulate care to respond? NARESH P. KOIRALA Repulse Bay
