Is Malaysia safe for tourists?
Ng Yen Yen
On 9 April 2009, she was appointed Minister of Tourism in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's new cabinet. Under her stewardship, Malaysia was rated the ninth most popular tourist destination by United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). In 2011, Malaysia received 24.8 million tourists, generating RM58.3 billion in tourism receipts. The ministry also spent RM 1.8 million on a Facebook marketing campaign to promote tourism.
Cross border attacks in Sabah
The former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, has suggested the government of Sabah to demolish all the water villages in eastern Sabah and resettle only the local people there as the era of the water villages has passed and the lifestyle of the villagers there who live in the sea is not appropriate for the modern way of life in Malaysia as the nation aims for Vision 2020. A Sabah MP, Rosnah Shirlin has called for the closure of the Filipino refugee camp in Kinarut, saying it is a threat to security in Papar. She says:
United Sabah People's Party (PBRS) leader, Joseph Kurup shares a similar view on this, adding that the Moro refugees and immigrants should take the opportunity to return and develop their homeland in Mindanao, Philippines as the peace had been restored there. Kurup also reminded that Sabahan people are not against to any migration, but stressing that any migration should be accordance to law by not entering illegally;
Another Sabah former Chief Minister, Yong Teck Lee has suggested to suspend the ferry service in Sandakan to counter the high level of Moro people migration from the Mindanao which now has become a major issue for Sabah when they overstay in the state and becoming an illegal immigrant. In October 2014, the Minister of Home Affairs, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that all stateless children in Sabah will be given a birth certificates for schooling purposes. The proposal was soon opposed by a number of Sabahan politicians both from the opposition and government allied parties such as Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Darell Leiking and Yong Teck Lee, citing the act would bring a big problem to Sabah in the future, while another Sabah-based opposition party leader, Jeffrey Kitingan, has called for a different birth certificate to be issued to the foreigners. Sabah State Legislative Assembly member for Kamunting in Sandakan, Charles O Pang, believes the education system will be burdened if stateless children are given birth certificates. He quote;
Also it was known the UNHCR has ever trying before to integrate the Filipino refugees with local communities in 1986 if they can't repatriate them back to the Philippines but this was opposed heavily by the locals and Sabah state government as it could bring a big social problem to the state. Large amounts of money have been spent to maintain the lives of the Filipino illegal immigrants and the amount remains unpaid until today despite attempts to recover the monies. Sabah Health Department said infectious diseases among the illegal immigrants was on the rise resulting in more expenditures, as well as provisions for more funds to accommodate the logistics such as medical officers and others. Illegal electricity connection and theft in the state are mainly been attributed to illegal squatters settlement that inhabited by Filipino refugees and illegal immigrants. The seaweed industry operated by indigenous Suluk community in eastern Sabah are also heavily affected because of the persistent kidnappings perpetrated by their Filipino-Tausūg relatives southern-Philippine-based terrorist group, the Abu Sayyaf. Sabah Kiulu Assemblyman, Joniston Bangkuai point out a similar view on the stateless issue. He said:
The Sabah National Registration Department (NRD) director, Ismail Ahmad has clarified that the issuing of the birth certificates does not make the stateless children Malaysians or Sabahan citizens as the certificates will be only used for record and monitoring purpose to show that the children are born in Sabah. Beside that, a DNA test is now among the methods being used to ensure only genuine citizens are issued the Malaysian birth certificate when they apply for late birth registrations. After several discussions, the Cabinet of Malaysia later decided to give only special birth documents instead of birth certificates as been announced by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak.
UPKO to present their proposed solutions on the problems after they have obtained the full Royal Commission Inquiry report, one of them being the re-calling and re-issuing of all the identification cards of the people of Sabah. Other former politicians have asked the federal government to investigate the action of some individuals who claim to be of royal blood of the Sulu Sultanate and have been conferring many "Datukship" title to local Sabahans and to those from Peninsular Malaysia until today.
Tourist Police (Malaysia)
In 2005, the state police of Malacca in co-operation with the Malacca City Historic Council (MBMB) established the "Tourist Police Mounted Unit" to maintain security and to aid tourists visiting the state.
Censorship in Malaysia
Censorship is a growing issue in Malaysia as it attempts to adapt to a modern knowledge-based economy. Malaysia has one of the world's strictest forms of media censorship, with nearly a hundred movies banned in this decade alone on the pretext of upholding morality. Most recently, a number of websites critical of the Malaysian Government had been pulled off.
2015 Southeast Asian haze
Unhealthy Air Pollution Index (API) readings were recorded in 24 areas in the states of Sarawak, with Selangor and Langkawi in Kedah being the worst hit by the haze. Residents with asthma and pulmonary problems were told to stay indoors until the air quality in their areas improved. Malaysia's aviation and maritime sectors were put on high alert following a worsening in view of the reduced visibility caused by the haze. The education ministry stated all schools had to close if the API readings surpassed 200. As a result, on 15 September, schools in the four states of Sarawak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Malacca together with the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya were ordered to close temporarily. On 3 October, the officials decided to cancel the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2015 due to the worsening haze. On 4 October, as haze reached unhealthy levels in many parts of the country, the government announced that all states except for Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak were to close schools again for two days. The API in Shah Alam, Selangor even hit the hazardous level of 308. Until 20 October, around 1,909,842 students from 3,029 schools in Malaysia were affected, which increased to 2,696,110 students and 4,778 schools by 22 October. Flights were also delayed and cancelled in the east coast of Sabah due to continuous haze from Kalimantan. It was a concern in the week leading up to the 2015 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix as the event could have come under threat of haze.
Malaysia
The Malaysian government aims to balance economic growth with environmental protection, but has been accused of favouring big business over the environment. Some state governments are now trying to counter the environmental impact and pollution created by deforestation; and the federal government is trying to cut logging by 10 per cent each year. 28 national parks have been established; 23 in East Malaysia and five in the Peninsular. Tourism has been limited in biodiverse areas such as Sipadan island. Animal trafficking is a large issue, and the Malaysian government is holding talks with the governments of Brunei and Indonesia to standardise anti-trafficking laws.
Malaysia
International trade, facilitated by the shipping route in adjacent Strait of Malacca, and manufacturing are the key sectors. Malaysia is an exporter of natural and agricultural resources, and petroleum is a major export. Malaysia has once been the largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil in the world. Manufacturing has a large influence in the country's economy, although Malaysia's economic structure has been moving away from it. Malaysia remains one of the world's largest producers of palm oil.
In an effort to diversify the economy and make it less dependent on export goods, the government has pushed to increase tourism to Malaysia. As a result, tourism has become Malaysia's third largest source of foreign exchange, although it is threatened by the negative effects of the growing industrial economy, with large amounts of air and water pollution along with deforestation affecting tourism. The tourism sector came under some pressure in 2014 when the national carrier Malaysia Airlines had one of its planes disappear in March, while another was brought down by a missile over Ukraine in July, resulting in the loss of a total 537 passengers and crew. The state of the airline, which had been unprofitable for 3 years, prompted the government in August 2014 to nationalise the airline by buying up the 30 per cent it did not already own. Between 2013 and 2014, Malaysia has been listed as one of the best places to retire to in the world, with the country in third position on the Global Retirement Index. This in part was the result of the Malaysia My Second Home programme to allow foreigners to live in the country on a long-stay visa for up to 10 years. In 2016, Malaysia ranked the fifth position on The World's Best Retirement Havens while getting in the first place as the best place in Asia to retire. Warm climate with British colonial background made foreigners easy to interact with the locals.
Ghosts in Malay culture
2007's "Jangan Pandang Belakang" ("Don't Look Back") holds the record as Malaysia's highest-grossing film. It centres around a malicious spirit which the hero had unknowingly brought to his fiancé's home after picking up a small jar found washed up at the beach. The 2010 Indonesian soft-porn horror movie "Hantu Puncak Datang Bulan" (The Menstruating Ghost of Puncak) caused considerable controversy at the time of its release. Telling the experiences of a group of young adults in a haunted house, it has much semi-nude sexuality, and has been condemned by conservative Muslim leaders.
Tourism in Malaysia
In 1999, Malaysia launched a worldwide marketing campaign called "Malaysia, Truly Asia" which was largely successful and brought in over 7.4 million tourists. The extra revenue generated by tourism helped the country's economy during the economic crisis of 2008.
Law enforcement in Malaysia
RELA Corps is a paramilitary civil volunteer corps formed by the Malaysian government. Their main duty is to check the travelling documents and immigration permits of foreigners in Malaysian cities, including tourists, visitors and migrants to reduce the increasing rate of illegal immigrants in Malaysia. RELA has the authority to deal with situations like policemen, such as raiding suspected streets or places such as factories, restaurants and even hotels.
Censorship in Malaysia
In July 2010, the Wonder Girls were allowed to return to Malaysia for MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia, along with Katy Perry, despite her songs and clothing being too "sexy" for the Malaysian teenagers. In October the same year, Adam Lambert scheduled concert in Malaysia was given the green light amid moderate protests from fundamental Muslims over controversies pertaining to his sexuality.
Malaysian identity card
PKI allows for easy securing of private data over public telecommunications networks, thus allowing, secure electronic transactions over the Internet which include:Citizens from Peninsular Malaysia travelling to Sabah and Sarawak can produce a MyKad on arrival to obtain a Document in Lieu of Internal Travel Document (IMM.114) for social and business visits not more than three months. Sabah and Sarawak each maintains a separate immigration control system, and Peninsular Malaysians are subject to immigration control in the two states.
Illegal immigration to Malaysia
Malaysia, Thailand and Venezuela were listed in the third and lowest tier of the US Department of State's 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report. The country has made little progress to combat the exploitation of foreign migrant workers subjected to forced labour and those recruited under false pretenses and coerced into sex work. Rohingya refugees, seeking a better life in Malaysia, are frequently victimised by human traffickers who confine, beat and starve them and demand ransoms from their families. Many Filipinas, promised good jobs in other countries by brokers in the Philippines, have been trafficked to Malaysia and are vulnerable to detention by Malaysian authorities for illegal entry. Vietnamese and Chinese traffickers have shifted their prostitution rings to Malaysia, making Vietnamese women the largest number of foreign prostitutes in the country (followed by Cambodian women). Traffickers usually offer victims good-paying jobs in Malaysia; when they meet a trafficker (posing as a manager), they are imprisoned, raped and forced into sex work. Chinese traffickers kidnapped children, maimed them and used them to beg in the streets of Kuala Lumpur.
2015 Sabah earthquake
According to the claims of local natives, the earthquake was caused by "aki" (the mountain protectors) who had become angered over the acts of ten western tourists (comprising six men and four women from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) who "stripped and urinated at the mountain (which is believed by local natives as a sacred place) on 30 May", six days before the earthquake happened. The tourists also shouted vulgarities when they were told to desist by their mountain guide. The acts provoked outrage among Sabahan natives who want all of the alleged offenders charged in native court and forced to pay the "sogit", a type of compensation, given in the form of money or livestock, to appease the aggrieved party according to local Kadazan-Dusun native customs. It is imposed on wrongdoers for the purpose of appeasing "the aggrieved", thus placating the native community. However, as most of the detained tourists have been released from Malaysia's prison and escaping native court, the local villagers had performed their own rituals. The misconduct was also condemned by the Science Adviser to the Malaysian Prime Minister who said:
The brother of one of the deceased mountain guides also criticised the behaviour of the tourists, saying:
Following the incident, some of the tourist and their family members has express their apology to all involved parties with the United Kingdom government began to reviewing their travelling advice to Malaysia.
Mangroves of the Straits of Malacca
Tanjung Piai is a nationally important icon, being one of only five Ramsar sites in Malaysia. Tanjung Piai is also an important nature site in Johor, being the 3rd designated park of Johor National Park Corporation. Tanjung Piai has high socio-economic value for fisheries. The site also has high ecotourism potential, attracting 32,360 visitors in 2006. The site is located on the southernmost tip of mainland Asia and is listed as a priority site for national ecotourism.
Bukit Larut
Unlike more developed hill resorts in Malaysia, Bukit Larut has remained pretty much as it was years ago, hence its low impact on tourism. Up on the peak, the cool weather is a welcome to many visitors who are mostly nature lovers and birdwatchers. The appeal of the resort lies in its untouched beauty, embellished with flowers, birds and tree ferns. It is situated in a national forest where the abundant wildlife is protected.
Wildlife of Malaysia
Habitat destruction has proved a threat for marine life. Illegal fishing is another major threat. In Sabah alone, almost 3000 turtles are killed as by-catch per year. Illegal fishing methods such as dynamite fishing and poisoning have also depleted marine ecosystems. Leatherback turtle numbers have dropped by 98% since the 1950s. Overconsumption and the use of animal parts for profit has also endangered marine life, as well as tigers, whose meat can be found in restaurants in Kuala Lumpur. Tigers received official protection in 1976, when they numbered a mere 300. Marine life is also detrimentally affected by uncontrolled tourism. Shoreline erosion in places has reached a year.
2013 Malaysian Open
The 2013 BMW Malaysian Open was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the fourth edition of the Malaysian Open and was an International tournament on the 2013 WTA Tour. The tournament took place from February 25 to March 3 at the new venue Royal Selangor Golf Club. This was the last time that Malaysia hosted the event, as in 2014 it will move to Hong Kong, China.The following players received wildcards into the main draw:
Medical tourism in Malaysia
According to the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), Malaysia reportedly received 641,000 foreign patients in 2011, 728,800 in 2012, 881,000 in 2013, 882,000 in 2014, 859,000 in 2015, and 921,000 in 2016. Malaysia's medical tourism statistics derive from the reported numbers of all foreign patients treated by Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC)–endorsed medical facilities. These figures encompass all registered patients with a foreign passport, which by default also encompass expatriates, migrants, business travellers, and holiday-makers for whom health care may not be the main motive for their stay. The number of Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC)]–endorsed medical facilities in Malaysia has increased over the years (e.g., 35 in 2009, 49 in 2011, 63 in 2012, 72 in 2013 and 78 in 2014), playing a role in increasing the official figures on foreign patients.
Crime in Malaysia
Malaysia is a destination, supply and transit point for women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. Women and girls from Burma, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam are trafficked to Malaysia. Malaysia is a transit country along with Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand in Chinese human trafficking. Women from Malaysia are trafficked into the People's Republic of China. Migrants from countries in the region work as domestic servants and laborers in the construction and agricultural sectors and face exploitative conditions.
Economy of Malaysia
According to a June 2013 report by the World Bank, Malaysia ranks 6th in the world in the Ease of doing business index, Malaysia's strengths in the ranking includes getting credit (ranked 1st), protecting investors (ranked 4th) and doing trade across borders (ranked 5th). Weaknesses include dealing with construction permits (ranked 43rd). The study ranks 189 countries in all aspect of doing business. In the investor protection category of the survey, Malaysia had scored a perfect 10 for the extent of disclosure, nine for director liability and seven for shareholder suits. Malaysia is behind Singapore, Hong Kong and New Zealand in investor protection category of the survey.
Ops Selamat
Ops Selamat (Operation Safe) "(formerly Ops Sikap (Operation Attitude) and Ops Statik)" is a traffic safety operation carried out by the Royal Malaysian Police to ensure safety on all roads in Malaysia during festive seasons such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Christmas Day and Chinese New Year. This operation began in 2001 and also involves the collaboration of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department, Malaysian Civil Defence Department, St. John Ambulance of Malaysia, Ministry of Health (Malaysia), Malaysian Road Transport Department (JPJ), Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and the National Anti-Drugs Agency (NADA).
Economy of Malaysia
Malaysia is reputed as one of the most preferred medical tourism destinations with modern private healthcare facilities and highly efficient medical professionals. In 2014, Malaysia was ranked the world's best destination for medical tourism by the Nomad Capitalist. Malaysia was also included in the top 10 medical tourism destinations list by CNBC.
Ng Yen Yen
The Malaysian Contemporary Art Tourism Festival (Jul–Sept) gave much needed spark of life to the local art scene. With the Ministry's focus on contemporary art promotion, the interest, awareness and appreciation for art is growing steadily. The ultimate objective is to attract foreign tourists to invest in Malaysia's contemporary art. This should not be too difficult in light of CNN's rating for Kuala Lumpur as the fourth most popular shopping destination in the world after New York, Tokyo and London.
Freedom of religion in Malaysia
However, Sunday which is the Christian traditional holiday is the official weekend holiday in the Federal Territories and ten out of thirteen states, unlike practices in Middle Eastern Muslim countries. The exception are the states of Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, where the weekend falls on Friday and Saturday. Most Muslims in Malaysia accept this, although some have expressed disquiet since the most holy period in a Muslim's week is between Thursday evening and Friday afternoon, when the congregational Jumaat prayer is held. The practice of having Sunday as the weekend holiday is a departure from traditional Islamic practices, dating to British colonial days when the British started bringing in non-Muslim immigrants into the country.
Illegal immigration to Malaysia
In 2008, the Sabah deputy chief minister said that some illegal immigrants attempted to become Malaysian security-force members with fake identity cards. A Sulu militant in Sabah was a Malaysian police corporal with family in the southern Philippines who was believed to have aided militants in illegally entering and leaving the state. A security guard from Tawau in Sabah killed a bank officer in Subang Jaya, Selangor during a robbery. The security guard had a fake identity card, and was later identified as an Indonesian from Sulawesi. Lim Kit Siang asked how the security guard obtained a MyKad, enabling him to work at the bank:
In addition to Sabah, the border in the Straits of Malacca between Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra enabled Indonesian immigrants to illegally enter the country; in 2014, an overloaded migrant boat sank.
Religion in Malaysia
In 2013, a video of a group of Buddhist practitioners from Singapore conducting religious ceremonies in a surau had become viral on Facebook. Malaysian police have arrested a resort owner after he allowed 13 Buddhists to use a Muslim prayer room(surau) for their meditation at Kota Tinggi, Johor. The incident has been a frown upon Muslims in Malaysia. It has also become a hot topic in the social media. Following up at 28 August 2013, the controversial prayer room was demolished by the resort management within 21 days from the date of receipt of the notice after much protests by the residents of Kota Tinggi. At the time, Syed Ahmad Salim, the resort owner explained that he had allowed the group of Buddhists to use the surau for a meditation session as he was unaware that it was an offence.
The majority of the Tamils who make up 9% of Malaysia's population practice Hinduism. Hinduism was influential prior to Islam, but current adherents are mostly descended from migrant communities from Tamil Nadu who came to Malaya to work on British rubber plantations. A small community of migrants from North India also exists.
Bali
The United States government lifted its travel warnings in 2008. The Australian government issued an advisory on Friday, 4 May 2012, with the overall level of this advisory lowered to 'Exercise a high degree of caution'. The Swedish government issued a new warning on Sunday, 10 June 2012 because of one tourist who died from methanol poisoning. Australia last issued an advisory on Monday, 5 January 2015 due to new terrorist threats.
An offshoot of tourism is the growing real estate industry. Bali's real estate has been rapidly developing in the main tourist areas of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Oberoi. Most recently, high-end 5-star projects are under development on the Bukit peninsula, on the south side of the island. Expensive villas are being developed along the cliff sides of south Bali, with commanding panoramic ocean views. Foreign and domestic, many Jakarta individuals and companies are fairly active, investment into other areas of the island also continues to grow. Land prices, despite the worldwide economic crisis, have remained stable.
Ng Yen Yen
To keep tourist numbers rolling in, she launched new programmes and events, specifically targeting different segments of the tourism market. As a natural extension of the successful "Malaysia Truly Asia" brand, she launched the "Fabulous Food 1 Malaysia" event, a 3-month promotion campaign (Oct to Dec) highlighting Malaysia's gourmet, restaurants and street food. Malaysians generally are proud of their wide variety of food choices, the result of their multi-ethnic and multi-cultural heritage.
Malaysia
Malaysia's recent rapid development has attracted millions of migrant workers from across Asia. The majority of these migrants are undocumented, a situation which the Malaysian government is struggling to combat, with its treatment and crackdown on migrant workers often criticised by international human rights watchdogs. Malaysia has a newly industrialised market economy, ranked 4th largest in Southeast Asia and 38th largest in the world. With a GDP per capita of $10,430 and an HDI of 0.802, Malaysia is classified as an emerging economy by the World Bank. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also classifies Malaysia as an emerging and developing country. Malaysia is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the East Asia Summit, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement. In 2017, Malaysian citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 164 countries and territories, ranking the Malaysian passport the 20th most accepted in the world.
2017 Mengalum Island boat accident
Following the incident, both of the surviving Filipino and Malaysian crewmen have been detained by the local police under Section 304A of the Malaysian Penal Law for causing death by negligence. A third person who is the owner of the boat company have been apprehended to facilitate investigation. All suspects remanded until 3 February, which then extended to 5 February. The boat registration status are also been investigated whether the boat is registered in Sabah or other place. According to Sabah State Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Pang Yuk Ming, normal catamarans registered outside Sabah could carry more than 30 passengers, but for Sabah the state government limits the number of passengers to no more than 12 passengers for tourism purposes. The minister also said the boat operator did not have permission from the authorities to use the jetty in Tanjung Aru from which they departed, adding the operator change the route due to the traffic conditions from the main jetty of Jesselton Point. The minister suspecting the crews may have wanted to avoid law regulations from tourism authorities such as the additional fees, checking of passenger capacity limit for a boat to depart and the use of safety equipment as the jetty they are using is a village jetty without any authorities located. In a statement, the minister said:
10th Parachute Brigade (Malaysia)
The security surveillance, code-named Operation Padanan Sipadan Island Resort or known as Ops Pasir, which was launched on 20 September 2000 following the hostage-taking incidents in Sipadan and Pandanan islands, had restored confidence among tourists, including from the United States, to come to the resort islands. The integrated operation involves the Malaysian army, navy and air force as well as other related agencies such as the police and the coast guard.
Geography of Malaysia
Malaysia's geographical location protects the country from most major natural disasters. It is located on a seismically stable plate that minimises direct risks of earthquakes and volcanoes, is partially protected from tsunamis by surrounding landmasses, and is a rare target for tropical cyclones. However, the country's tropical climate opens the country to the risk of flooding, landslides and prolonged droughts.
Medical tourism in Malaysia
The Malaysian government's investment tax allowance has encouraged private health care facilities promoting medical tourism to invest in internationally recognized accreditation schemes (e.g. Joint Commission International and Malaysian Society for Quality in Healthcare) and medical equipment in order to develop ‘world-class’, technology-intensive private health care facilities and ensure care standards considered necessary to attract medical tourists.
Malaysia My Second Home
The Malaysia My Second Home (MM2Hj is a programme promoted by the Malaysia Tourism Authority and the Immigration Department of Malaysia, to allow foreigners to stay in Malaysia for a period of ten(10) years. Foreigners who fulfills certain criteria of MM2H may apply, and the applicant is allowed to bring a spouse, an unmarried child under the age of 21 and parents who are over 60 years old.
Terrorism in Malaysia
On 6 April 2015, Malaysian authorities arrested seventeen suspected militants who were involved in an alleged terror plot in the capital Kuala Lumpur. Two of the suspects were alleged to have been fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) in Syria. These arrests coincided with the Malaysian Government's plans to introduce two new anti-terror bills: the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the Special Measures Against Terrorism in Foreign Countries Act.
Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur
The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) President KL Tan said in an interview to Channel NewsAsia. "Our Twin Towers are an iconic tourist attraction - they should not be blocked at all. Tourists want to have a nice view and take photos of the twin towers, once the tallest buildings in the world."
Spratly Islands dispute
In 2010, it was reported that the former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad believed Malaysia could profit from China's economic growth through co-operation with China, and said that China "was not a threat to anyone and was not worried about aggression from China", as well accusing the United States of provoking China and trying to turn China's neighbours against China. Malaysian authorities displayed no concern over China conducting a military exercise at James Shoal in March 2013, with its Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein suggested they might work with China and saying that Malaysia had no problem with China patrolling the South China Sea, and telling ASEAN, America, and Japan that "Just because you have enemies, doesn't mean your enemies are my enemies". However, until present Malaysia still maintained a balance relations with the countries involved in this dispute. But since China has start enroaching its territorial waters, Malaysia has become active in condemning China.
Tourism Malaysia
In 2010, Tourism Malaysia announced that it would be making greater efforts to attract New Zealanders. "Initiatives include a greater focus on ecotourism, major cultural events and activities for young urban professionals. Family-friendly destinations, wellness activities, value for money and a safe, clean environment are some the key drivers of this market," said Ng.
Taxicabs of Malaysia
The reputation of Malaysia's taxi service has been marred by the poor conduct of local taxi drivers, who have been known, among others, to refuse using taximeters, overcharge and pick-and-choose which destinations they will travel to, regardless of locals and foreigners, while driving poorly maintained vehicles. Larger metered taxi companies i.e. Sunlight Radio Cab, RB Premier Taxi Sdn. Bhd., Uptownace (M) Sdn. Bhd., Laluan Emas Sdn. Bhd. Insan Lemak Sdn. Bhd. and Innovasi Timur Orange Taxi Cab are more likely to charge passengers using meter; although they are still owned and managed by individual taxi drivers. Newer companies such as Swift Limousine & Cab owns and controls their vehicles with ensures all drivers have rigours background checks. An alternative option is to use secure taxi booking apps like Grab or TaxiMonger. Drivers are certified safe and all will use taxi-meters. The app will also allow you to contact the assigned driver directly and track his were abouts on a real time map . In a June 2008 survey couducted by Malaysian expatriate magazine "The Expat" on an estimated 200 foreigners from 30 countries, Malaysia's taxis were found to rank the lowest among the 23 countries in terms of quality, courtesy, availability and expertise. The behaviour of the offending taxi drivers has tarnished the image of Malaysia, particularly among foreign tourist, to the point some have begun resorting to paying for upscale taxis that are more expensive but operate with better service.
Malaysian passport
Officially, the Malaysian government allows Christians to visit Israel for religious purposes. In 2009, the government imposed a ban on visits to Israel, ostensibly due to heightened security risks posed by the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The ban was lifted in 2011, albeit with restrictions such as a quota of 700 pilgrims per year with not more than 40 pilgrims per church group, and pilgrims must be at least 18 years old and not visiting Israel more than once every three years with each stay a maximum of 10 days. On 20 December 2013, the government announced a relaxation of the ban, which lifted most of the restrictions while increasing the maximum duration of stay to 21 days, subject to the security situation in Israel.
2009 flu pandemic in Malaysia
According to the Malaysian Ministry of Health, headed by Liow Tiong Lai, health screenings were carried out on passengers travelling to and from Mexico via sea, air and land beginning 17 April 2009. The Health Ministry's disease control division has activated its operations room to monitor the swine flu situation and informed medical practitioners who are treating cases with symptoms of influenza-like illness or severe pneumonia and persons who had visited Mexico, California or Texas to inform the district health office immediately for preventive and control measures. As has several Asian countries, thermal scanners had been installed at entry points at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) following the start of the global alert on the flu. Screenings were imposed in Pengkalan Hulu, at the border with Thailand, in late April. Quarantine rooms had been allocated in 28 hospitals, and the country has stockpiled more than 2 million doses of Tamiflu, as of May 2009.
Spratly Islands
In 2010, it was reported that the former Malaysian Prime Minister (now the current Malaysian Prime Minister) Mahathir Mohamad believed Malaysia could profit from China's economic growth through co-operation with China, and said that China "was not a threat to anyone and was not worried about aggression from China", as well accusing the United States of provoking China and trying to turn China's neighbours against China. Malaysian authorities displayed no concern over China conducting a military exercise at James Shoal in March 2013, with its Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein suggested they might work with China and saying that Malaysia had no problem with China patrolling the South China Sea, and telling ASEAN, America, and Japan that "Just because you have enemies, doesn't mean your enemies are my enemies". However, until present Malaysia still maintained a balance relations with the countries involved in this dispute. But since China has start enroaching its territorial waters, Malaysia has become active in condemning China.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
Two men boarded Flight 370 with stolen passports, which raised suspicion in the immediate aftermath of its disappearance. The passports, one Austrian and one Italian, had been reported stolen in Thailand within the preceding two years. Interpol stated that both passports were listed on its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database, and that no check had been made against the database since the passports were first reported as stolen. Malaysia's Home Minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, criticised his country's immigration officials for failing to stop the passengers travelling with the stolen European passports. The two one-way tickets purchased for the holders of these passports were booked through China Southern Airlines. It was reported that an Iranian had ordered the cheapest tickets to Europe via telephone in Bangkok, Thailand, and paid by cash. The two passengers were later identified as Iranian men, one aged 19 and the other 29, who had entered Malaysia on 28 February using valid Iranian passports. The two men were believed to be asylum seekers. The Secretary General of Interpol stated that the organisation was "inclined to conclude that it was not a terrorist incident".
Visa requirements for Malaysian citizens
In September 2017, Malaysia announced a ban on all Malaysian citizens from travelling to North Korea, in the wake of strained Malaysia–North Korea relations following the assassination of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Preventive detention
In Malaysia the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) was a preventive detention law that was enacted after Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The ISA allowed for detention without trial or criminal charges under limited, legally defined circumstances. The ISA was invoked against terrorism activity and against anyone deemed a threat to national security. On 15 September 2011, Najib Razak, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, said that this legislation would be repealed and replaced by two new laws.
Eye on Malaysia
Eye on Malaysia first operated at Titiwangsa Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur, where it enabled visitors to experience a 360-degree panoramic view of the city centre and over of its surroundings, including the Kuala Lumpur Tower, the Istana Budaya and the Petronas Twin Towers, during a 12-minute ride. It was unveiled in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2007 on January 6, 2007 by the prime minister at that time, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Luconia Shoals
On 31 March 2016, Malaysia summoned the Chinese ambassador in Kuala Lumpur to protest the presence of around 100 Chinese fishing boats at Luconia Shoals. Until March, the Malaysian government rarely rebuked China in public to avoid disturbances to Sino-Malay relations as Beijing emerges as the Malaysian economy's main investor. Kuala Lumpur has "consistently played down China's activities in our territories", said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, a Malaysian think tank. "This could be to protect our commercial interest, or it could also be to avoid the public...realising how useless our defences are".
Demographics of Malaysia
The majority of private hospitals are in urban areas and, unlike many of the public hospitals, are equipped with the latest diagnostic and imaging facilities. Private hospitals have not generally been seen as an ideal investment—it has often taken up to ten years before companies have seen any profits. However, the situation has now changed and companies are now exploring this area again, corresponding with the increased number of foreigners entering Malaysia for medical care and the recent government focus on developing the health tourism industry. The Government has also been trying to promote Malaysia as a health care destination, regionally and internationally.
Human rights in Malaysia
Malaysia, according to Amnesty International, “is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for women and children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, and men, women, and children for forced labor...Malaysia improved from Tier 3 to the Tier 2 Watch List for 2008 when it enacted comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation in July 2007.”
Biometric passport
The pricing for a Malaysian passport are RM 200 (approximately USD 50) with 5 years validity, RM100 (approximately USD 25) for senior citizens, children below 12, Hajj pilgrims, and students below 21 and studying abroad is RM100 and is free for disabled citizens.
2009 flu pandemic in Malaysia
The first patient has been warded at the Sungai Buloh Hospital, while house quarantines were undertaken on two of the second patient's friends who boarded the same flight, along with their family members. All passengers of the flights were also asked to contact the Health Ministry or head to any hospital, clinic or health office or further action, and crew members of MH091 and AK5358 were located and grounded. As the first patient has indicated, the use of thermal scanners is revealed not to be entirely effective as symptoms of his flu had yet to manifest; the Health Ministry resumes the use of the scanners nevertheless.
On 4 June, three additional inbound airline passengers were reported to be carrying the virus. The earliest of the three is a 23-year-old male student who returned from United States on 1 June via the same Malaysian Airlines flight (MH091) that the first cases of A (H1N1) were detected. On the same day, two German tourists and friends (aged 30 and 32) who were holidaying in Southeast Asia and arrived in Malaysia were confirmed to be infected with the virus; both had flown into the country on 3 June via an Air Asia flight (AK702) after transferring from a Singapore Airlines flight (SQ45) from Germany to Singapore on 1 June. The third reported victim developed symptoms on 3 June and was warded in Tunku Jaafar Hospital, while the two tourists developed symptoms while in Kuala Lumpur on 3 June and were given similar medical treatment. All three victims were reported to be stable. As it has been for the last two cases, passengers sharing both the Malaysian Airlines and Air Asia flights are being traced. On 5 June, sixth case were reported from a student who took the same flight with the fourth patient. On the next day, a girl from Australia was confirmed to be infected with Influenza A (H1N1) when the airport scanner detected severe fever making her the 7th confirmed case overall in Malaysia.
Cycling in Kuala Lumpur
The history of cycling in Kuala Lumpur dates back to 1938 when there were a few road racing events which were held in the city and became one of the main transportation methods for mid-class citizens during the 1980s. The first bicycle route in Malaysia is Wangsa Maju bike route which is located in the residential area of Wangsa Maju, which costs US$ 320,000 to build, officially opened in 1997 to public while at the same time the mayor of Kuala Lumpur, Tan Sri Dato’ Kamaruzzaman Shariff announced that another US$1.6 million will be allocated for future bike route by encouraging developers of real estate to include bike routes in their residential area. Despite its effort to encourage people to cycle in Kuala Lumpur, many people still prefer to choose driving as their main mode of commuting to Kuala Lumpur at that time due to the urbanization of Kuala Lumpur since 1960s and introduction of automotive industry in Malaysia, particularly the debut of PROTON in 1983.
Legoland Malaysia Resort
Legoland Malaysia is Malaysia's first international theme park that has opened in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, Malaysia on 15 September 2012 with over 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions. It is the first Legoland theme park in Asia and sixth in the world upon its establishment. The official opening of Legoland Malaysia was made by Sultan Ibrahim Ismail, Sultan of Johor on 22 September 2012.
Tourist Police (Malaysia)
Their motto is "Friendly, Fast and Right". As such, Tourist Police maintain contact with travel agencies, hotels, airlines, bus and taxi companies to help tourists find any information they may need. The Tourist Police help improve a country's image in the eyes of tourists.
Musa Aman
With the pressure that any assemblyman will lost their seat based on the Article 18(2) of the state constitution that a seat can be declared "vacant" if an assemblyman fails to turn up for three consecutive sessions, Musa returns to Malaysia on 21 August at the Subang Airport, after transiting from the Seletar Airport in Singapore. He was taken to the Subang Jaya Medical Centre for receiving further treatment. Musa has decided to return to Malaysia to settle all outstanding issues, although this is against the doctor's advise. The former Sabah chief minister’s presence at the hospital is accompanied by heavy security and secrecy. Staff nurses at Musa’s suite in the VVIP section were on high alert against the press and any unauthorised visitors. Police are seeking to get a statement from Musa after he recovered from his health issue. Musa had previously claimed that he was receiving medical treatment in England and therefore was not fit to return to Malaysia. Despite this, Musa could still face investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Immigration Department due to the fact that there were no records of him leaving the country. On 23 August, Musa was officially arrested despite his remand application was later rejected by the magistrate that making him out on bail. On 6 September, he returned into Kota Kinabalu through a private jet and arrived at about 12.30 PM before directly went straight to the State Assembly Building to sworn as an assemblyman. Musa then return to Kuala Lumpur and depart to Putrajaya to answer questions from MACC on several graft cases during the election that was alleged to be involving him. Since the BN coalition fall in the recent election, his son Yamani has been went missing.
Jelajah Malaysia
Through wide coverage that is empowered by local and international media, Jelajah Malaysia had proven itself as an important event in promoting Malaysia to the world as a tourism and leisure destination.
Women-only passenger car
Sexual harassment in Malaysia is common, and since 2010 trains on the Malaysian Railway have included pink-coloured women-only cars as a means of cutting down on it. There are also women-only buses in Kuala Lumpur since 2010. In 2011, the government launched a women-only taxi service in the greater Kuala Lumpur area. The taxis have women drivers, and operate on an on-call basis.
Immigration Department of Malaysia
The Immigration Department of Malaysia has a longstanding history of corruption, allowing for threats of terrorism and human trafficking to become significant problems for the country. Despite the Malaysian government's desire to promote an image of Malaysia as a progressive nation, widespread abuses of immigration controls since at least the 2000s have sullied that image. In 2017, government minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron named the Department of Immigration in Malacca as the most corrupt civil service department in the state. After being promoted as head of Malaysia's Department of Immigration in 2017, Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali revealed that an internal audit and an investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had uncovered a passport fraud scheme being committed by officers in Selangor since 2014 that, according to MACC deputy commissioner Datuk Azam Baki, "could be happening at most Immigration offices nationwide." In 2016, massive corruption was discovered involving the disabling of the national electronic security system at Malaysia's international airports by immigration officers profiting from bribes by human trafficking syndicates to allow illegal passage of migrants into the country, raising questions about the system's effectiveness at keeping terrorists from streaming into Malaysia.
Human rights in Malaysia
Sexual harassment is common, and since 2010 trains on the Malaysian Railway have included pink-coloured women-only cars as a means of cutting down on it. There are also women-only buses in Kuala Lumpur since 2010. In 2011, the government launched a women-only taxi service in the greater Kuala Lumpur area. The taxis have women drivers, and operate on an on-call basis.
Islam in Taiwan
In 2012, the Kuala Lumpur Office of the Taiwan Visitor Association distributed 20,000 free copies of the 'Traveling in Taiwan for Muslims' guide book which list down all of the mosques and Halal eateries, as well as Muslim-friendly tourist attractions and accommodation in the island. Tony Wu, director of the Kuala Lumpur Office, said that Taiwan has more than 100 Halal restaurants and that his office plan to raise the annual Malaysian visitors to Taiwan from 350,000 to 400,000. In September 2014, Taiwan took part in promoting its 51 Muslim-friendly restaurants and hotels as well as its 13 scenic areas which have Muslim prayer rooms during the MATTA Fair in Malaysia in a bid to attract Malaysian visitors. In 2015, Taiwan was ranked top 10 non-Muslim tourist destination among Muslim travelers by the Global Muslim Travel Index due to its safe travel environment, airport services and Muslim travelers needs awareness and reach out. In 2016, Taiwan included new six Middle East countries into their e-visa program to boost more tourist arrivals from Muslim countries.
Film censorship in Malaysia
The two main cinema operators in Malaysia, Golden Screen Cinemas and Tanjung Golden Village, are known to be strict in ensuring that only patrons aged 18 and above are allowed to view films rated "18". Although movies shown in Malaysian cinemas carry an age-restricted rating such as "18", films that contain scenes of sex and nudity are completely censored off by the LPF (Malaysia's film censorship board), which renders the 18 rating meaningless and strict entry by the cinema operators pointless. Kissing and make-out scenes are also censored in movies rated "P13" but in recent years the Board has loosened the censorship. On the other hand, there have been many "18" rated films filled with profanity and graphic violence that were hardly censored or uncensored in recent years. This shows that the board mostly views sex and nudity as completely unacceptable for a Malaysian audience.
2014–15 floods in Southeast Asia and South Asia
Some victims in Malaysia have accused the government of being slow to provide assistance. As Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was away, his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, was in charge for the flood crisis. However, the Prime Minister later ended his vacation amidst criticism from the public when he was seen playing golf with Barack Obama in Hawaii, United States. Najib stressed that the golf game was necessary in establishing diplomatic ties with the United States and the event has been planned much earlier even before the flood started. Rescue missions have been difficult, due to uncertain weather conditions and some residents' refusal to evacuate.
Malaysia–Myanmar relations
The Malaysian government humanity sincerity are also been questioned by reporters in their own country for their sudden help as previously Malaysian authorities is seen rejecting the Rohingya to set foot on Malaysian soils while their boat is drifting in the sea after escaping from Myanmar. In addition, the poor condition of the already available Rohingya in Malaysia with most of them are unable to study or send their children to school, no access to healthcare, and their new children who born in the country are unregistered, unable to work legally and vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous employers as Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention have mostly been criticised by journalists and non-governmental organisations in the country. The government also been alleged as bias as they “only selecting discriminated people who are Muslims”, as if they are not Muslims the government will not care them at all as been exampled from the Vietnamese boat people incident where they only been put in Bidong Island and shooed away as the Vietnamese are looked more like a Chinese and not Muslim with the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister at the time Mahathir Mohamad threatened to use force to shoot them if they continuously reaching Malaysian shore as Mahathir worried the increase of non-Muslims population in Malaysia will threatened the majority Malay and Muslim population”. The Malaysian government also been alleged as trying to make the Rohingya as part of Malaysian citizens to use them to vote the ruling party for the next Malaysian general election as been exampled from the Moro Muslim refugees in the state of Sabah who fleeing the political uncertainty in the Philippines in the 1970s when they been registered as a citizen and used as a voter to topple the state government who are Christian at the time and to maintain the ruling Muslim party to administer the state.
Ali Abd Jalil
“Now, I am in Sweden… Looking for asylum… the Malaysian government and Sultan treat(ed) me like rubbish… I have been threatened through gangsters and racist Malay groups in Malaysia…. Malaysia is not safe for me, police and gangsters are following me all the time….,” he posted.
Bersih 2.0 rally
International reaction was unanimously critical of the government. The Singapore "Straits Times" added that Malaysian society has been polarised by the country’s divisive politics as clearly demonstrated when thousands braved a security lockdown of Kuala Lumpur. In an editorial, the "Jakarta Post" described Malaysia as a "rich but not free" country, with its leaders still "laboring under an old paradigm" and refusing to allow its people to exercise their rights to free speech by invoking racial tension. Al Jazeera English's Teymoor Nabili said the government acted out of fear of an Egypt-style revolution. Bloomberg columnist William Pesek calls the rally a part of the "rising call for political change in Asia" that play a decisive role in foreign investment to Asian countries. The Asian Sentinel stated that although Najib Tun Razak appears to have won the battle by closing down Kuala Lumpur on Saturday and arresting 1,667 mostly peaceful marchers and would-be marchers, the consensus seems to be that Malaysia has suffered a blow to its international reputation as a moderate, democratic country.
Corruption in Malaysia
Despite periodic actions by the government to crack down on petty corruption in the Immigration Department, bribe-taking and fraudulent issuance of visas has been a long-standing problem, particularly among immigration officers at the KLIA and KLIA2 terminals of Kuala Lumpur International Airport. In 2016, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) uncovered a scheme in Selangor, in which immigration officers collected passport application fees from travelers and then submitted fraudulent paperwork declaring them disabled, resulting in fee waivers that amounted to over 1 million Malaysian ringgit by the time the scheme was exposed. In a December, 2016 statement to the Malaysian press, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Samidi estimated that over half of the 1500 immigration officers working in the KLIA and KLIA2 terminals had participated in a range of corrupt practices, including fraudulent issuance of visas, tampering with Immigration Department data, and collusion with human-trafficking agents.
China–Malaysia relations
Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen says there are 1.25 million tourist from China coming to Malaysia in 2011. The ministry expects the target of 1.5 million tourists in 2012 and two million for the Visit Malaysia Year 2013/2014. In 2012, the Tourism Office of the Government of Macau opened the Macau Gallery in Malacca to strengthen ties between Macau and Malaysia in tourism and culture sectors.
Medical tourism in Malaysia
The majority of the foreign patients seeking medical treatments in Malaysia are from Indonesia, with smaller numbers of foreign patients coming from India, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Europe, the USA and the Middle East. In 2008, Indonesians comprised 75% of all foreign patients receiving care in Malaysia; Europeans, 3%; Japanese, 3%; Singaporeans, 1% and citizens from Middle Eastern countries, 1%. By 2011, Indonesians comprised 57% of all foreign patients in Malaysia as the number of patients of other nationalities grew.
Illegal immigration to Malaysia
Malaysian Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said in 2015 that his ministry has told the UNHCR several times that "Malaysia is not a signatory to its convention on refugees", and the United Nations should send refugees to another Third-World nation. Jaafar also said that refugees and migrant workers needed to observe Malaysian law in the country. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Merican Naina,
According to a National Registration Department (NRD) official, 60,000 illegal immigrants in the east Malaysian state of Sabah received Malaysian identity cards (MyKads);. such allegations are known as Project IC. This was done through an ethnic connection to people in certain Malaysian occupations (such as the NRD, politics or security forces). A syndicate from Pakistan has mainly Pakistani clients, and syndicates from Myanmar and Indonesia have their own clients. Filipinos with identity documents brought family members to Sabah. An officer of the Eastern Sabah Security Command said that the corruption of local authorities and the issuance of fraudulent identity cards played an important role in the increase of crime in Sabah. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said that illegal immigrants long resident in Malaysia should not be barred from citizenship.
Tourism in Malaysia
In an effort to diversify the economy and make Malaysia's economy less dependent on exports, the government pushed to increase tourism in Malaysia. As a result, tourism has become Malaysia's third largest source of foreign exchange income, and accounted for 7% of Malaysia's economy as of 2005.
Refugees on Jeju Island
Many of the Yemeni refugees fled to Malaysia first, because Malaysia allows a three-month stay visa-free. Of the few countries which do not require visas for Yemenis, Malaysia was favored as the initial destination, mostly due to the cultural similarities deriving from sharing a common Islamic religious tradition. However, Malaysia is not a signatory of the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, and therefore avoids the legal obligation to protect the rights of the displaced. As Malaysia prohibited the Yemenis from staying longer, they moved to Jeju Island through the region's visa-free program. Jeju's visa-waiver program was introduced on May 1, 2002 as a part of Special Act on the Development of Jeju International Cosmopolitan City(제주특별자치도 설치 및 국제자유도시 조성을 위한 특별법) for the purpose of encouraging more tourists into the island.
Medical tourism in Malaysia
Health insurance companies in Singapore have recently permitted their policyholders to be treated in Malaysia where services are cheaper than in Singapore.
Alcohol in Malaysia
Alcohol in Malaysia refers to the consumption, industry and laws of alcohol in the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia. Although Malaysia is a Muslim majority country, the country permits the selling of alcohol to non-Muslims. There are no nationwide alcohol bans being enforced in the country, with the exception of Kelantan and Terengganu which is only for Muslims. The Islamic party there respect the rights of non-Muslims with non-Muslim establishments -like Chinese restaurants and grocery shops- being excluded from such bans. The federal territory of Kuala Lumpur has the highest alcohol consumption in the country, followed by the states of Sarawak in second place and Sabah in third place.
Mount Kinabalu
Six days before the earthquake, around ten western tourists (comprising six men and four women from Canada, Germany, Netherlands and the United Kingdom) "stripped and urinated at the mountain (which locals believe has angered the spirit at the sacred place)". The tourists also allegedly shouted vulgarities when they were told to desist by their mountain guide, but this was later dismissed by the judge in their trial. This provoked outrage among certain Sabahans, who want all of the alleged offenders charged in native court and forced to pay the "sogit", a type of compensation, given in the form of money or livestock, to appease the aggrieved party according to local Kadazan-Dusun customs. It is imposed on wrongdoers for the purpose of appeasing "the aggrieved", thus placating the community. However, as most of the detained tourists have been released from Malaysia's prison and escaping native court, the local villagers had to perform their own rituals. Following the incident, some of the tourists and their families have expressed their apologies to all involved parties, and the government of the United Kingdom began to review its travel advice for Malaysia.
Japan and Malaysia tour
Band
Malaysian lock-up detainee abuse scandal
After the first reports of abuse broke, the Prime Minister ordered Home Minister Azmi Khalid to travel to China to improve Malaysia's image there. Reportedly, the number of Chinese tourists had been dropping over the past few months, and it was feared the abuse scandal would further exacerbate the situation. It was later revealed that the Cabinet directed Azmi to go on the trip before the scandal blew open.
Malaysian Federal Roads System
Malaysian federal roads are always sites of most of the road accidents in Malaysia, especially during festive seasons.During festive seasons such as Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmas and Hari Raya Aidilfitri, activities such as construction, road repairs and maintenance works have been stopped. Meanwhile, a heavy goods vehicles such as logging truck, cement truck, intermodal container truck, construction materials truck and other heavy goods vehicles (except tanker lorry, provision goods truck, road crane crane, tow truck, fire engine, ambulance, etc.) are banned from using roads, highways and expressways during festive seasons. A massive nationwide operation known as Ops Selamat (Previously named as Ops Sikap) are held annually by the Malaysian police to ensure safety on all roads in Malaysia during festive seasons.
Road signs in Malaysia
Malaysian information signs are blue.
Malaysian tourist spot signs are maroon.
There is also a signs for weighing bridge.
The construction signs in Malaysia are diamond-shaped and are orange and black in colour.
Road name sign in Malaysia have many different colours and styles according the local authority to design with them.
Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015
The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 (, abbreviated POTA), is an anti-terrorism law that was passed by the Malaysian government on 7 April 2015. It enables the Malaysian authorities to detain terror suspects without trial for a period of two years. POTA also does not allow any judicial reviews of detentions. Instead, detentions will be reviewed by a special Prevention of Terrorism Board. The POTA bill has been criticised by opposition elements as a reincarnation of the former Internal Security Act, which was revoked in 2012. The passage of POTA coincided with the arrest of seventeen suspected militants who were involved in an alleged terror plot in the capital Kuala Lumpur.
Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia's Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen brought attention to the hotel's charitable works in 2012 by presenting a check for RM180,000 raised by the hotel to seven children in need of assistance, including Nor Fatihah Sewah. Minister Ng Yen Yen stated that such financial assistance for children in need of aid in Malaysia required the help of non-Governmental organisations such as the Shangri-La Hotel's initiative.
Malaysia–Singapore relations
According to a study conducted by the Singapore Tourism Board, Malaysians tend to view Singapore as "an extension of their lifestyle rather than a holiday destination", due to the close geographical proximity, cultural similarities and family ties between the two countries. Aside from leisure, 41% of Malaysian tourists in Singapore cited meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions (MICE) as their purpose of visit.
Pendatang asing
Since the 1980s when Malaysia first experienced economic boom, the country has seen massive influx of immigrants and foreigners from many neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar. Recently, Malaysia has been the destination for many Bangladeshis, Indians and Pakistanis that are looking for employment. While many entered Malaysia legally, labour shortage in Malaysia has encouraged many employers to employ illegal immigrants. Of late, the Malaysian government has tried to repatriate many of these illegal immigrants back to their countries of origin. Such effort however has annoyed several governments such as Indonesia and India.
Halal tourism
Halal tourism is a subcategory of tourism which is geared towards Muslim families who abide by rules of Islam. The hotels in such destinations do not serve alcohol and have separate swimming pools and spa facilities for men and women. Malaysia, Turkey and many more countries are trying to attract Muslim tourists from all over the world offering facilities in accordance with the religious beliefs of Muslim tourists. Currently, there exists no internationally recognized standards on Halal tourism.
Eastern Sabah Security Zone
The Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZONE) is a security zone in the Malaysian state of Sabah that was launched by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak on 25 March 2013 following the persistent attacks by pirates and militants from the southern Philippines that occurred in the eastern part of Sabah especially after the 2013 Lahad Datu standoff. It includes the districts of Kudat, Kota Marudu, Pitas, Beluran, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau. The Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) is the main enforcement authority for ESSZONE, chaired by Datuk Seri Musa Aman.
The Malaysian Government has embarked on a programme to significantly upgrade the land, sea and air defence capabilities of the Malaysian Armed Forces in ESSZONE.
Economy of Malaysia
Medical tourism is a significant sector of Malaysia's economy, with an estimated 1 million travelling to Malaysia specifically for medical treatments alone in 2014, contributing around US$200 million (about RM697 mil) in revenue to the economy.
George Town, Penang
An integral part of Penang's services sector is medical tourism, which has made George Town the medical tourism hub of Malaysia. The city has attracted approximately half of Malaysia's medical tourist arrivals in 2013 and generated about 70% of the nation's medical tourism revenue. About 1,000 patients arrive in George Town daily, mostly from Asian countries such as Indonesia, Singapore and Japan.
World Passport
In Malaysia in 1994, a Nigerian man was arrested at the Central Market, Kuala Lumpur by tourist police during an identity check, after he showed a World Passport. A search of his belongings showed that he carried a total of five World Passports, as well as a real Nigerian passport that had been used by another person to travel to Malaysia and Hong Kong. Authorities suspected he might have been trying to sell the fantasy travel documents to other foreign nationals lacking valid travel documents.
Fuziah Salleh
Despite the claimed hazards, the government of Malaysia is eager for investment by Lynas, even offering a 12-year tax holiday. Fuziah Salleh, local residents, environmentalists and professional bodies such as Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and Malaysian Bar Council have questioned the credibility of the IAEA review. They have called for the LAMP to be scrapped by pointing out the IAEA review panel didn't include the medical experts and the IAEA report doesn't assure LAMP will be safe. Also, it is claimed that neither the long-term waste management nor the possible contamination of surface water and atmosphere by radioactive waste material were addressed in the radiological impact assessment (RIA) report. These worries have been further spurred by the New York Times article dated 29 June 2011, reporting the LAMP may be needed redesign work, with memos, e-mail messages and photos from Lynas and its contractors provided to the journalist by the engineers who worked at the LAMP.
Malaysia
Malaysia has 118 airports, of which 38 are paved. The national airline is Malaysia Airlines, providing international and domestic air services. Major international routes and domestic routes crossing between West Malaysia and East Malaysia are served by Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Malindo Air while smaller domestic routes are supplemented by smaller airlines like MASwings, Firefly and Berjaya Air. Major cargo airlines include MASkargo and Transmile Air Services. Kuala Lumpur International Airport is the main and busiest airport of Malaysia. In 2014, it was the world's 13th busiest airport by international passenger traffic, recording over 25.4 million international passenger traffic. It was also the world's 20th busiest airport by passenger traffic, recording over 48.9 million passengers. Other major airports include Kota Kinabalu International Airport, which is also Malaysia's second busiest airport and busiest airport in East Malaysia with over 6.9 million passengers in 2013, and Penang International Airport, which serves Malaysia's second largest urban area, with over 5.4 million passengers in 2013.
Melaka Gateway
Malacca Gateway is an off-shore development of artificial islands in Malacca, Malaysia. It was launched on 7 February 2014 by Malaysia's Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak, witnessed by Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron. It is expected to be open in 2018 and finished completely by 2025.Malacca Gateway is projected to generate an additional 2.5 million tourists over the next 12 years.
Pahang
Tourism makes up one of the largest sectors of the Pahang state economy, contributing approximately 26% of the overall state economy. In 2016, the state hosted a total 12.8 million visitors with revenues worth more than RM7 billion. 2.9 million from this figure were foreign tourists mainly from Singapore, China, and Indonesia, with Genting Highlands and Kuantan, remain the top destinations. Domestic tourists make up the remaining 9.9 million. The top five most visited places by Malaysians in Pahang were Cameron Highlands, Genting Highlands, Teluk Cempedak, Gambang Water Park and Cherating. Of the hotels rated by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Pahang has the third highest proportion of luxury hotels after Kuala Lumpur and Sabah. Pahang also recorded the highest occupancy rates at 81.1%, with Kuala Lumpur and Selangor recorded the second and third highest occupancy rates at 69.7% and 68.2%, respectively. First World Hotel located in Genting Highlands that houses 7,351 rooms, is currently the largest hotel in the world.
Women in Malaysia
Sexual harassment is common, and since 2010 trains on the Malaysian Railway have included pink-coloured women-only cars as a means of cutting down on it. There are also women-only buses in Kuala Lumpur since 2010. In 2011, the government launched a women-only taxi service in the greater Kuala Lumpur area. The taxis have women drivers, and operate on an on-call basis.
Tourism in Indonesia
The Islamic heritage tourism is also popular, especially among Indonesian Muslims and Muslims from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei that shared common Southeast Asian Islamic heritage. The activity usually linked with Islamic ziyarat pilgrimage to historical Islamic sites, such as historical mosques and tombs of venerated Islamic figures. However, for visitors in Islamic sites, either local or foreign, Muslim or non-Muslim, the rules of conduct and dress modesty is applied, such as removing the footwear while entering mosques or "makam" (tombs), visitor should not entering the site wearing shorts (sarong usually lent near the entrance to cover lower torso of the visitors).
Geography of Malaysia
Interest towards tsunami risks to Malaysia has also heighten since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Although the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia was largely shielded by the Sumatran island from the full effects of waves generated by the earthquake, weaker deflected tsunami waves led to damage and casualties along the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, affecting coastal Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak. The disaster also highlights the risk of further tsunamis that may strike coasts in direct line of undersea faults, primarily around the South China Sea.
Malaysian plover
This species is classified as near-threatened with about 10,000 individuals. They are thought to be declining because of infrastructure development and human disturbance. Increased human use of important beach habitat may cause trampling of eggs or chicks and also force adults off of nests so that eggs and chicks are vulnerable to heat stress. A study in the Gulf of Thailand suggested that the conversion of short, shrubby, dense vegetation into sparse "Casuarina" forests as well as the creation of sea walls that prevent chicks from moving between foraging areas on the mudflat and hiding habitats in the vegetation behind the beaches, could reduce habitat quality for Malaysian plovers. 
Sandy tropical beaches have tremendous economic value and as a result there has been intensive development pressure on the remaining Malaysian plover habitats in Thailand. This is likely to continue as the Thai economy continues to improve from the Asian financial crisis and the domestic tourist market expands. The main remaining large populations of Malaysian plovers in Thailand are in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park (Thailand's first marine protected area), and beaches around Bonok village both in Prachuap Khiri Khan province and Laem Phak Bia in Petchburi province. Bonok made headlines in the Thai and international media when a prominent environmental activist (Charoen Wataksorn) who helped to protect one of these undeveloped beaches from the construction of a coal power plant, was murdered after protesting against illegal land grabs on one of these beaches. The construction of a seawall in 2005 in Laem Phak Bia (a sandy, 1 km (.62 mi) long spit in Petchburi province) is likely to have significantly altered the habitat. 
A study published in 2006 attempted to assess the impact of tourism on the species through a large-scale survey in Prachuap Khiri Khan and Petchburi, Thailand; 193 adults and 191 chicks were color-banded as part of the study. The study concluded that "tourism development on Thai beaches affects both habitat availability and productivity of Malaysian plovers by enhancing beach erosion rates, converting medium vegetation into tall monocultures and intensifying human disturbance. These direct effects of habitat loss may be exacerbated by density-dependent reductions in productivity."
Culture of Malaysia
Many international sports are highly popular in Malaysia. Badminton matches in Malaysia attract thousands of spectators, and Malaysia, along with Indonesia and China, has consistently held the Thomas Cup since 1949. Famous players include Lee Chong Wei. The Malaysian Lawn Bowls Federation (PLBM) was registered in 1997, and already fields a strong international team and has made progress on the international stage. Squash was brought to Malaysia by members of the British army, with the first competition being held in 1939. The Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) was created on 25 June 1972, and has had great success in Asian squash competitions. Football is popular in Malaysia, and Malaysia has proposed a Southeast Asian football league. Hockey is popular in Malaysia, with the Malaysian team ranked 14th in the world as of 2010. Malaysia hosted the third Hockey World Cup at the Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, before also hosting the 10th cup. Malaysia has its own Formula One track, the Sepang International Circuit. It runs for , and held its first Grand Prix in 2000. Golf is growing in popularity, with many courses being built around the country.
The Federation of Malaya Olympic Council was formed in 1953, and received recognition by the International Olympic Committee in 1954. It first participated in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. The council was renamed the Olympic Council of Malaysia in 1964, and has participated in all but one Olympic games since the council was formed. The largest number of athletes sent to the Olympics was 57, to the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Malaysian athletes have won a total of four Olympic medals, all of which are in badminton. Malaysia has competed at the Commonwealth Games since 1950 as Malaya, and 1966 as Malaysia. It has been dominant in badminton, and hosted the games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. The 1998 Commonwealth Games were the first time the torch relay went through more nations than just England and the host country.
2009 flu pandemic in Malaysia
The Malaysian Health Ministry has warned Malaysians not to withhold health information to the authorities saying that those doing so could be fined RM10,000 or jailed two years or both if they are found guilty under the Disease Prevention Act 1988. On 18 June 2009 Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin declared that all visitors and Malaysians returning from abroad will be required to fill the health declaration form following the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic around the world.
Malaysia–North Korea relations
North Korea has been working together with Malaysia's tourism sector to promote travel to North Korea. Since 2001, more than 1,000 Malaysians have visited North Korea. In 2011, North Korea opened an air route to Malaysia to attract more tourists from the country. In early January 2017, the Malaysian government had decided to stop allowing North Korean state airline Air Koryo access to the country following the implementation of recent United Nations Security Council sanctions due to pressure from the United States. By September 2017, Malaysian Sarawak State Immigration Department confirmed there are no more North Koreans working in Sarawak with the mine where they working also had stopped their operation.
Illegal immigration to Malaysia
A joint border commission has been formed with the Philippines to patrol from the southern Philippines to East Malaysia, and Thailand has agreed to lengthen its border wall along the Malaysian state of Kedah to curb the flow of illegal workers across the Malay–Thai border. Spanish Ambassador to Malaysia has urged the country to develop closer ties with other ASEAN nations to solve the immigrant problem: "Close understanding between Asean countries would result in a more effective approach to identify the individuals who entered the country illegally and without identification papers. This would facilitate the process of sending them back to their countries of origin". Malaysia received two Bay-class patrol boats from Australia in 2015, and said that the vessels would be used to protect their maritime borders from illegal migration across the Straits of Malacca. Before a November 2016 meeting between Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Putrajaya, both leaders agreed to deport illegal Filipino migrants and refugees in Sabah back to the Philippines and signed agreements to improve the social conditions of legal Filipino migrants and expatriates in the state with a school, hospital, and consulate. That month, Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan announced a plan to replace the southern Malay–Thai border fence with a wall; Wongsuwan got the idea from a meeting in Laos with his Malaysian counterparts.
East Malaysia
It has been a source of debate whether the states of Sabah and Sarawak joined the Federation of Malaysia as equal partners with Malaya and Singapore or whether they became merely equal partners of the states of Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia). The consensus seems to be that Sabah and Sarawak are merely states of the federation with a slightly higher degree of autonomy compared to states in Peninsular Malaysia. For example, the East Malaysian states have separate laws regulating the entry of citizens from other states in Malaysia (including the other East Malaysian state), whereas, in Peninsular Malaysia, there are no restrictions on interstate travel or migration, including visitors from East Malaysia. There are also separate land laws governing Sabah and Sarawak, as opposed to the National Land Code, which governs Peninsular Malaysia.