Restricted movement for 14 days

Restricted movement for 14 days



Public measure: The movement control order will limit congregation at religious, sport, social and cultural events.

PETALING JAYA: A movement control order will be imposed from tomorrow until the end of the month to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The Prime Minister announced the measure after chairing the National Security Council (NSC) last night.

“The government has decided to enact the measure, starting March 18 until March 31, throughout the whole country.

“This order is being issued under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 and the Police Act 1967, ” he said during a special broadcast.

The measure will restrict the movement and congregation at religious, sport, social and cultural events.

While public and business premises will be closed, Muhyiddin announced that supermarkets, sundry shops and other shops which sell daily essentials will remain open.

Overseas travel for Malaysians will be restricted while those returning to the country must undergo health checks and voluntary quarantine.

Educational centres and schools, including higher learning institutions, will also be closed during this period.

The Prime Minister assured the public that essential services will continue.

These include health services, utilities such as fuel and electricity, along with the Fire and Rescue Department, police and those involved in the food supply chain.

Muhyiddin said he will chair daily NSC meetings and periodic updates will be announced to the public.

He also urged for all Malaysians to be patient during these trying times and to comply with the restrictions.

He assured the public that enough food and essentials are available, including face masks.

But at the same time, he said the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry will monitor the supply of these items.

“I realise the public might feel these actions create difficulties and hardships during their day to day lives. However, such action must be taken by the government to contain the outbreak.

“We cannot wait any longer for the situation to turn more dire. Drastic measures have to be taken immediately, ” he said.

He urged the public not to panic and remain calm.

“I believe that with these measures, we will be able to contain the outbreak soon, ” he said.

Muhyiddin also thanked those directly involved in combating the Covid-19 outbreak, including health officers and public servants who have been working around the clock.

“I pray that you will remain strong in performing your duties for the country to ensure public safety, ” he said.

~The Star~

Upcoming flights between Melaka, Penang cancelled until Saturday (July 6)

Upcoming flights between Melaka, Penang cancelled until Saturday (July 6)

All flights between Melaka and Penang have been cancelled until Saturday (July 6) following a navigation system failure at Melaka International Airport (LTAM) in Batu Berendam.

AirAsia confirmed in a statement that six of its flights will be cancelled as the VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigational aid and Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the Melaka International Airport in Batu Berendam were inoperable.

An AirAsia spokesperson said the flights to-and-from Melaka will resume on July 6 when its systems are back online.

"We have contacted all affected guests and offered them alternatives.

"Guests may either move their travel dates, retain their fare values in their credit accounts for future travels or opt for a full refund," she said.

Guests who were affected by the cancelled flights may contact the AirAsia support team at https://support.airasia.com/s/?language=en_GB

It was earlier reported that flights AK6284 (Penang to Melaka) and AK6285 (Melaka to Penang) Wednesday (July 3) were cancelled following an apparent failure in the navigation system at LTAM.

It was learnt that AirAsia had sent buses to transport the stranded passengers in Melaka to KLIA2 to put them onboard Penang-bound flights.

~The Star~

Be prepared to pay a departure levy

Flying out of the country? Be prepared to pay a departure levy

Anyone flying out the country will have to pay a fee when the Departure Levy Bill 2019 is passed in Parliament.

The Bill tabled by Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah (pic) for its first reading on Monday (April 8) seeks the implementation of a new levy on any person leaving Malaysia.

However, the amount of the proposed levy was not mentioned in the Bill.

In Budget 2019, the government had proposed a departure levy of RM20 for Asean countries and RM40 for non-Asean countries.

The Bill also proposes hefty punishments for those who avoid paying the levy.

Any registered person who makes an incorrect return or information can face a fine not exceeding RM500,000, a three-year jail term or both, upon sentencing.

According to the Bill, a registered person means any operator or agent of foreign operators.

The Bill also states that anyone with the intent to evade or assist another to avoid the departure levy will also be liable to a fine not exceeding RM1mil, a five-year jail sentence or both upon sentencing.

The proposed Act also states that any person who in any way assaults, obstructs, hinders, threatens or molests a Customs officer in the discharge of his function or fails to give reasonable assistance to any Customs offer will also be liable to a maximum three-year jail term, a fine not exceeding RM500,000 or both if found guilty.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Travellers against departure levy

Travellers against departure levy

AS the feud intensifies between Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and AirAsia, so too the voices from air travellers against the imposition of a departure levy, as well as increase in passenger service charge (PSC).

Malaysians, however, said they were determined to continue travelling.

The New Straits Times’ travel pullout, JOM!, inasurvey conducted on its Facebook page to identify the travel trends of Malaysians, found the majority objecting to both charges.

Of the 663 respondents, 73.2 per cent did not agree that klia2 and other Malaysian international airports should charge the same PSC as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

The survey, which comprises eight questions, ran for 11 days.

Effective Jan 1 last year, PSC for those travelling beyond Asean was increased from RM50 to RM73.

It has more than doubled since 2017 for passengers using klia2.

Passengers were charged RM32 before 2017 for travelling beyond Asean via klia2, and it increased to RM50 in 2017.

Since the increase, AirAsia Group Bhd and AirAsia X Bhd have refused to collect the additional RM23, with the justification that the facilities in klia2 were inferior compared with a full-service carrier terminal.

On Dec 11 last year, Malaysia Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of MAHB, served a writ of summons on AirAsia Group’s unit, AirAsia Bhd (AAB), for RM9.4 million in PSC that AAB had not and refused to collect from travelling passengers.

Malaysians said the departure levy would not encourage domestic tourism as envisaged. Travellers said they would continue to travel, with 4.3 per cent of respondents saying they would travel within the country, 71.6 per cent within Asean and 24.1 per cent beyond that.

The departure levy proposed in the 2019 Budget for air travellers leaving the country is set to roll out in full force in June.

It is set at RM20 to Asean countries and RM40 for non-Asean countries.

The levy was to raise revenue allowing the government to collect a few hundred million ringgit annually, Transport Minister Anthony Loke had said.

DEPARTURE LEVY FRUSTRATION

Shamala Raj, 27, a frequent traveller, said the departure levy would not stop her excursions.

“I understand that the government wants to encourage domestic tourism, but if I have visited all the places that I want to visit in Malaysia, I will still travel abroad for my holidays.

“I believe the idea of introducing a departure levy to encourage people to travel within Malaysia is not effective as some may prefer to travel out of the country, despite the charges.”

She said the government should relook the departure levy as it would deter foreign tourists since the charges were more compared with other Asean countries.

“There are many other ways to collect the revenue, but the government should study this well before implementing it as it may have an adverse effect on Malaysia.”

Mohd Syukri Salleh, 34, who travels to London at least three or four times a year on business, said the extra RM40 would make him look for other options.

“Yes, the RM40 may not sound a lot, however, for a frequent traveller like me, it is an extra cost.

“I will fly as usual, but will look for a cheaper option when the departure levy comes into effect in June.”

Besides travelling on business, Syukri travels regularly for holidays and he did not agree with the increase in the passenger service charge, mainly for klia2.

“I understand the frustration that is brought up by the management of AirAsia. klia2 is a low-cost carrier terminal and it does not have the same facilities as KLIA. So, how can they expect the passengers to pay the same amount?”

The effectiveness of the departure levy, introduced to improve domestic tourism, was debatable, said Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) economist Adli Amirullah.

“Some might say they prefer to travel domestically using land transport, hence a higher departure levy will not affect such consumers.”

He said the departure levy might affect international tourists and deter them from choosing Malaysia as their Southeast Asian destination, compared with neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Indonesia.

“IDEAS’ study has shown that Malaysians are already paying one to three per cent more tax on full-service flight tickets to nearby destinations, compared with other Asean nations.

“This pressures the Malaysian aviation market and possibly limits the growth of tourism, as other nearby countries are cheaper to visit.”

He said although Malaysian tourism growth looked prosperous with the travel sector contributing 13.4 per cent to total gross domestic product and 11.8 per cent to the total employment in 2017, statistics had stated that there had been a three per cent reduction in tourism arrivals in Malaysia.

“It shows that Malaysia tourism is growing but at a much slower rate.

“With the number of arrivals turning negative and expected to be adjusted downwards, the losses of the tourism industry may be magnified by the departure levy.”

~New Straits Times~

North South Highway Map

Visa exemption for China tourists extended to Dec 2019

Visa exemption for China tourists extended to Dec 2019

The 15-day visa exemption for tourists from China has been extended from Jan 1 to Dec 31 this year, a piece of good news for local tourism industry players.

With many Chinese nationals going on holiday during the Chinese New Year next month and China’s National Day Golden Week break in October, Malaysia’s tourism association is hopeful that the exemption will boost arrivals.

Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Jan 2 made three separate orders to grant visa exemptions for Chinese and Indian tourists.

The orders granting the exemption under the Passports Act 1966 were published on Jan 3 in the Federal Government Gazette.

The three are: Passports (Exemption of Visa to Tourist Who is Citizen of The People’s Republic Of China) Order 2019; Passports (Exemption of Visa to Tourist Who is Citizen of India) Order 2019; and Passports (Exemption of Visa to Expatriate Who is Citizen of India) Order 2019.

Chinese tourists were first granted the 15-day visa exemptions on Oct 1, 2015, while Indian citizens including expatriates who visit Malaysia as tourists were first given exemptions on April 1, 2017.

The exemptions for both countries were extended every year since.

The exemption for tourists who are citizens of China comes with a number of conditions.

According to the orders, applicants must register with an electronic travel registration and information system provided by the Immigration Department.

They must have a return ticket and must produce on arrival, proof of sufficient pocket money, credit card or bank card with the UnionPay, AliPay or eWallet logo.

They must also produce their itinerary in Malaysia upon arrival.

The orders stated that the 15-day exemption could not be extended, and upon leaving Malaysia, the tourist was only allowed to re-register for exemption again after three months. 

The exemption for tourists who are citizens of India has almost similar conditions while the exemption of Indian expatriates applies to all citizens of India working as expatriates outside India in all countries except Singapore.

They are granted the exemption when travelling to Malaysia as tourists.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Departure levy different from airport tax

Departure levy different from airport tax

The departure levy proposed in Budget 2019 is completely separate from the existing passenger service charge (PSC), said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

Loke was responding to a question on the need to impose the levy which was set at RM20 to Asean countries and RM40 for non-Asean countries.

The PSC is not something collected by the government, that’s collected by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to run the operations of the airport, he said.

“The departure levy introduced by the government, is a form of tax for anyone travelling out of the country. That is completely by the government, not by the airlines, not by the airports,” he said during the launch of AirAsia Bhd’s first fully-digitalised ground handling services control centre at klia2.

The departure levy is needed to raise revenue and the government could collect a few hundred million ringgit annually, he said.

Loke pointed out other countries such as Thailand and Indonesia had similar taxes for outbound travellers.

The mechanism, he said, would be announced later as implementation only starts on June 1.

He added the ministry has not decided on the mechanism to offer the 30% stake in the proposed Airport REIT (real estate investment trust), which forms part of the Budget 2019 proposal.

Fernandes hopes the proposed REIT would not increase costs.

“Obviously we would like to see full privatisation, so new airport operators can come in, we may see different ways of running airports, and not just giving 30% to Malaysian Airports as a different form of funding,” Fernandes said.

What the low-cost carrier needed, he added, was an airport operator and airport which understood AirAsia’s model in reducing costs, which he said would in turn reduce the costs of flying for passengers, allowing the carrier to build Malaysia into a strong aviation hub.

Meanwhile the ground handling services control centre will allow AirAsia’s Ground Team Red (GTR) to track aircraft handling, with real-time information on passenger boarding, baggage reconciliation and ramp-loading compiled on a digital dashboard at the control centre.

Loke was given an overall briefing of the way the centre functioned to compile the different data and identify any soft spots in the aircraft’s turnaround process.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Malaysia welcomes tourists from all over the world

Malaysia welcomes tourists from all over the world

Malaysia continues to welcome tourists from all over the world, including China, without any restriction.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s office today said other than the usual immigration requirements for all foreign tourists, there are no other restrictions for anyone including visitors from China.

“Tourists from China will still be given a single-entry visa for up to 30-days stay in the country and are eligible to take up other programmes organised by the government as well,” it said.

The statement said property purchases by foreigners were also allowed irrespective of nationality but there were certain conditions imposed by the government.

“Purchase of property, however, does not guarantee automatic residency in the country. But for foreigners who wish to make Malaysia their permanent residence, they could consider the ‘ Malaysia, My Second Home (MM2H)’ programme.

”Malaysian government also welcomes foreign direct investment that contributes to the transfer of technology, provides employment for locals and the setting up of industries locally,” the statement read.

It added that last year Malaysia received 2.3 million Chinese tourists from China and it now aims to multiply the number to 10 million visitors in time to come.

Information on these programmes and conditions are available.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

KLIA / KLIA 2 - Malacca express bus

Transnasional Bus schedule from klia2 to Melaka

The Transnasional's first Bus from klia2 to Melaka starts at 1:15am, and the last bus starts at 9:15pm.

Depart klia2	Arrive	Destination
1:15AM	4:15AM	Melaka Sentral
7:45AM	10:45AM	Melaka Sentral
9:15AM	12:15PM	Melaka Sentral
10:45AM	1:45PM	Melaka Sentral
11:45AM	2:45PM	Melaka Sentral
1:15PM	4:15PM	Melaka Sentral
2:15PM	5:15PM	Melaka Sentral
4:15PM	7:15PM	Mahkota Medical Center
6:15PM	9:15PM	Melaka Sentral
8:15PM	11:15PM	Melaka Sentral
9:15PM	11:45PM	Melaka Sentral

Bus schedule from KLIA to Melaka

The first bus from KLIA starts at 1:00am, and the last bus from KLIA starts at 9:00pm. The Transnasional bus is available at KLIA Bus station at the KLIA terminal Level 1.

Depart KLIA	Arrive	Destination
1:00AM	3:30AM	Melaka Sentral
7:30AM	10:00AM	Melaka Sentral
9:00AM	11:30AM	Melaka Sentral
10:30AM	1:00PM	Melaka Sentral
11:30AM	2:00PM	Melaka Sentral
1:00PM	3:30PM	Melaka Sentral
2:00PM	4:30PM	Melaka Sentral
4:00PM	6:30PM	Melaka Sentral
6:00PM	8:30PM	Melaka Sentral
8:00PM	10:30PM	Melaka Sentral
9:00PM	11:30PM	Melaka Sentral

Transnasional Bus schedule from Melaka to klia2

The Transnasional's first bus from Melaka Sentral to klia2 starts at 12:15am, and the last bus starts at 10:00pm.

Depart	From	Arrive klia2
12:15AM	Melaka Sentral	3:15AM
5:00AM	Mahkota Medical Center	7:30AM
6:30AM	Melaka Sentral	9:30AM
8:00AM	Mahkota Medical Center	11:00AM
9:30AM	Melaka Sentral	12:30PM
10:30AM	Melaka Sentral	1:30PM
12:30PM	Mahkota Medical Center	3:30PM
2:30PM	Mahkota Medical Center	5:30PM
4:00PM	Melaka Sentral	7:00PM
6:00PM	Melaka Sentral	9:00PM
10:00PM	Melaka Sentral	1:00AM

Bus schedule from Melaka to KLIA

The first bus from Melaka starts at 12:15am, and the last bus from Melaka starts at 10:00pm. The Transnasional bus from Melaka will arrive at KLIA Bus station at the KLIA terminal Level 1.

Depart	From	Arrive KLIA
12:15AM	Melaka Sentral	2:45AM
5:00AM	Mahkota Medical Center	7:30AM
6:30AM	Melaka Sentral	9:00AM
8:00AM	Mahkota Medical Center	10:30AM
10:30AM	Melaka Sentral	1:00PM
12:30PM	Mahkota Medical Center	3:00PM
2:30PM	Mahkota Medical Center	5:00PM
4:00PM	Melaka Sentral	6:30PM
6:00PM	Melaka Sentral	8:30PM
10:00PM	Melaka Sentral	12:30AM

Singapore - Malacca Bus Service

http://www.707-inc.com/

Delima Express Bus

Malacca to and from...

- Kuala Lumpur
- Johor Bahru
- Singapore

http://www.delima.com.my/

KLIA to Malacca bus service

Transnasional runs multiple direct buses daily at 01:15, 07:45, 09:15, 11:45, 14:15, 16:15, 18:45, 20:15,& 21:15 (RM24,50/16 adult/child). Check their website for the latest schedule. Travel time is 2 hours 30 min. There is no Transnasional ticket counter at KLIA airport, buy tickets online ahead of time at their website (requires a Malaysian issued credit card) or at www.easibook.com (charges small booking fee). For easibook.com tickets, a printout of the ticket confirmation can be used as a boarding pass for the bus, show this to the bus driver on boarding. 

The ticket confirmation will indicate the need to turn in the confirmation for a boarding pass at the ticket counter. However as there is no Transnasional ticket counter at KLIA the confirmation acts as a boarding pass. Alternatively, transfer and purchase the tickets directly at the KLIA2, Transnasional ticket counter, on the ground floor. KLIA2 airport is reachable by shuttle bus (RM2.5/30-40 min), or taxi. Shuttle buses depart every half hour from the KLIA bus terminal on platform #10.

While it may be possible to wait at the bus stop and purchase tickets directly on the bus at KLIA, it is highly recommended to pre-book your tickets online or transfer to KLIA2 to purchase tickets and board. The bus departs from KLIA2 and KLIA is its second stop. If the bus is full or near full it may not stop at KLIA at all unless there are pre-booked passengers at KLIA. Board the bus in KLIA at bus platform #8, however it may sometimes arrive at another nearby platform.

Note depending on the time of the bus, some will arrive in Melaka at Melaka Sentral or alternatively at Mahkota Medical Centre as the final destination. Buses arriving at Mahkota Medical Centre will stop at Melaka Sentral as the second to last stop. If your destination in Melaka is Jonker St Chinatown, Mahkota Medical Centre is within walking distance (20-30 min if you don't have luggage or a short taxi ride away (~RM10). Melaka Sentral is further distance wise from Jonker St. however more accessible by local bus to Chinatown. 

Local taxis are known to be dirty, rude and aggresive, and would refuse to use the meter. They would cost about RM25 (June 2017) from Melaka Central bus terminal. A better alternative would be Grab or Uber which would be about RM 7-8 to Jonker Street for a clean and safer car/driver. Note that you would need to head to the front entrance of Melaka Sentral and have the app in your smartphone.

If you miss these buses, you'll have to detour via KL or take a taxi with travelling time about 1.5 hours (fixed "budget" fare RM159, 1 way, counter inside Domestic Arrivals, the guard will happily let you and your trolley of luggage back into this area from outside).

Or you can take the airport shuttle to TBS for RM 8,00 and then get on a regular bus to Melaka Sentral, for about RM 10-12, running daily between 7.00 - 22.58.

~Info courtesy of Wikitravel~

RM1 flight levy starts January 2018

RM1 flight levy starts January 2018

ALL passengers leaving Malaysia by air will have to pay a levy of up to RM1 from January, following changes to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) Act 2015.

“The Government spent almost RM30mil on Mavcom’s operational costs last year. The levy for air travellers is justified, considering the services Mavcom provides, which range from receiving and processing complaints to conducting educational activities,” he said.

The changes to the law also allows Mavcom to impose penalties for any non-compliance over guidelines on competition, regulatory fees and charges.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Melaka Sentral - Bus Terminal

Entering M'sia? No need for arrival cards

Entering M'sia? No need for arrival cards 

 Starting from June 1, foreigners entering Malaysia need not fill in arrival cards issued by the Immigration Department, the Home Ministry said in a statement yesterday. 

Chief Secretary of the Home Ministry, Mr Mahmood Adam, said the procedure would not be required because the Immigration Department had already introduced a biometric recording system for every foreigner upon arrival, under the National Enforcement Registration System (NERS), the Bernama news agency reported. "

Through the NERS system that was introduced on June 1, 2011, the data of foreigners will be recorded and stored. The procedure will also fulfil the requirement of the Tourism Ministry to record data and number of tourist arrivals," he said in the statement quoted by the agency. 

Mr Mahmood said the decision was made after consultations with the Immigration Department, Home Ministry and Tourism Ministry, and that the NERS system was a much faster way to record the data of foreigners. 

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Security tightens after Osama's death

Malaysia tightens security after Osama's death

KUALA LUMPUR: One day after the US announced that the death of its most wanted man, several governments around the world tightened security against possible retaliation from terror networks linked to Al Qaeda. Malaysia has also heightened security in key areas.

Speaking after meeting the visiting Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna, Malaysia's Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said a special counter terrorism taskforce is working closely with regional and international intelligence agencies to stay on top of the situation.

Mr Hishamuddin said: "Right now we have not seen any movement that will concern us...I can give assurance as of today there's no concern. Malaysia was never a target at the moment. I believe they have no plan making Malaysia a target."

Malaysia recently set up a joint working committee with India to combat terrorism, arms smuggling, as well as human and drug trafficking. It is also actively sharing information with the US, UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia and China on cross border terror links.

The minister denied that Malaysia is seen as a breeding ground for regional terror networks.

He said: "It was never been seen as breeding ground. There's no room for them to breed, to train terrorism. But the world is porous now. Anywhere they exist, they move, they are mobile, they do end up on our shores and some stayed on."

Still the Malaysian authorities are not taking chances. The police have stepped up security measures at strategic locations in and around the capital, in particular the embassy enclave in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia is also putting in place a better mechanism to screen foreigners at entry checkpoints. This after reports that terror suspects were infiltrating Malaysian schools and institutions of higher learning to recruit students.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~