A Singaporean woman has alleged a possible extortion attempt by Malaysian immigration officers after she was forced to pay RM200 for torn pages in her passport—damage she insists was not there before.
The 72-year-old woman, Lee Lihong, told Shin Min Daily News that she was traveling with eight friends to Johor Bahru for a Chinese New Year gathering on February 23.
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When they reached the checkpoint around 11am, they handed their passports to the officer while remaining in the vehicle.
After stamping several passports, the officer noticed a tear on one of her passport pages and told her she needed to pay RM200 to proceed.
She only had RM50 on her, so the officer spoke with the driver. Initially, the officer insisted on RM200, but later agreed to RM100 (about SGD 30).
Worried that she might face similar issues when returning to Singapore, she sought reassurance.
The officer allegedly assured her that it was unlikely. As it turned out, she passed through immigration without any further problems that night.
Her passport, renewed two years ago and originally valid until 2033, had a torn corner on two pages, as seen in photos she provided.
She was unsure how the damage occurred, as she always checks her passport before traveling.
Shin Min Daily News reached out to Malaysia’s Johor Immigration Department and Johor’s Public Works, Transport, Infrastructure, and Communications Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli for clarification, but received no response as of March 3.
According to Malaysia’s immigration guidelines, a passport is considered damaged if it is torn, scratched, burned, water-damaged, infested by insects, has an unclear photo or has been laminated.
