Taiwan yesterday called out Malaysia for removing the display of Taiwan’s national flag from its airport’s automated immigration clearance sign.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said the action undertaken by Malaysia seriously damaged bilateral friendship, and it urged the country to “immediately make a correction.”
The flag was recently removed from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport sign showing the flags of passport holders eligible for the “immigration autogate” and pointing them in the direction of the expedited immigration clearance gates.
Photo courtesy of a member of the public via CNA
Taiwan’s representative office in Kuala Lumpur has lodged a protest with Malaysia’s foreign ministry as well as the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre, the ministry said.
Although the Malaysian government has informed Taiwan that the automated immigration clearance enjoyed by Taiwanese passport holders remained unaffected, the ministry said it would continue to discuss the issue with the authorities there to “safeguard the country’s dignity” and “keep the convenience for Taiwanese travelers.”
In May, Malaysia announced that travelers from 36 low-risk countries and regions, including Taiwan, would be able to use automated immigration clearance when entering Malaysia beginning on June 1.
They were in addition to travelers from a list of 10 countries — Australia, Brunei, Germany, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the US and the UK — which benefited from the automated entry system starting in December last year.
Following Taiwan’s inclusion, Taiwan began allowing Malaysian passport holders to use its automatic immigration clearance system, or e-gate, when entering the country starting on Nov. 7.