Cabinet to discuss NSC's Middle East Visa proposal tomorrow

BAGAN DATOH: The National Security Council's proposal for visa requirement to be imposed on visitors from the Middle East would be raised at the cabinet meeting tomorrow, said Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
"We need to hear from the ministers particularly Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz. This is because his ministry has a target to draw foreign tourists from West Asian countries.
"But at the same time we cannot compromise on Malaysia's security," the Deputy Prime Minister told reporters here today.
Earlier, Ahmad Zahid who is also Home Ministry launched the Hilir Perak district level Teachers Day 2016 at Sekolah Menengah Sains Bagan Datoh.
On Sunday, NSC secretary Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad proposed that a foreign visa requirement be introduced by the government for visitors from West Asian countries to curb threats posed by Daesh militants.
Alias noted that Malaysia had imposed visa requirement on only 34 of 201 countries, mostly in the African continent.
Commenting further, Ahmad Zahid said other possible approaches might also be looked at in deciding whether to allow or bar entry of tourists from Western Asia.
"We will use every communication line to monitor Daesh militant threats before deciding on the proposed visa requirement for West Asian visitors.
"We have very close cooperation with Interpol and ASEAN police as well as Immigration departments worldwide including Western Asia," he said. — Bernama