Day: September 13, 2021

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 13 — The time taken to process a MyTravelPass (MTP) application has to be increased to 14 days from seven due to the high number of applications received.

Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the increasing number of business travellers followed the reopening of many more economic sectors.

The MTP was introduced by the Immigration Department on Oct 7, 2020 whereby the applications to enter and exit this country for Malaysian citizens and foreign nationals must be made through the system.

Responding to reports claiming that the MTP had caused delays in exiting and entering Malaysia, Khairul Dzaimee said enforcement of the MTP was to control movements in curbing the spread of COVID-19.

“The MTP enforcement has proven its effectiveness as up to August this year, the recorded imported positive cases of COVID-19 was less than 0.4 per cent from the total number of cases in Malaysia,” he said in a statement today.

According to him, since the MTP was introduced until last Friday (Sept 10), the Immigration Department had received 356,510 applications and out of this number, 6,697 applications were cancelled, 208,509 approved and 127,465 rejected.

“The number of applications processed during a set period is 13,000, managed by three task forces under the Immigration Department. The number has not gone down but has in fact, increased each day,” he said.

Khairul Dzaimee also advised the public to always be aware of the latest announcements and rules made by the government, as well as check on the latest related procedure and understand the set conditions in applying for the MTP before planning to travel abroad.

“Careful evaluation also has to be made to curb the spread of COVID-19 to this country,” he said, adding that the Immigration Department would continue improving the MTP system to facilitate applying for travel out and into this country by Malaysians and foreign nationals.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

GEORGE TOWN, Sept 13 — The Penang Hill funicular service would be temporarily closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between mid-November and early December this year for bi-annual maintenance services.

In a statement issued today, the Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) said maintenance works, which were initially scheduled to be carried out in January 2022, would be carried forward to Tuesdays and Wednesdays for four consecutive weeks between Nov 16 and Dec 8.

PHC explained that they anticipated the tourism sector would slowly recover in the first quarter of 2022 as the nation is projected to achieve herd immunity by the fourth quarter of 2021 under the National Recovery Plan.

“This is also to ensure that the vendors at Penang Hill will be able to resume their businesses and economic activities after facing a difficult period throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” it said.

It added that during the maintenance period, visitors may opt for the jeep service operated by the Penang Hill Residents Association at the entrance of Jeep Track nearby Penang Botanic Gardens or the existing hiking routes to reach the top of Penang Hill.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA NERUS, Sept 13 — An afternoon fire destroyed about 80 per cent of a steel factory in the Gong Badak industrial area near here today.

According to the Terengganu Fire and Rescue Department’s Operations and Station Management branch head, Mohd Mazimi Mohamad, a team of 45 personnel from the Kuala Nerus and Kuala Terengganu fire stations, with five engines, were dispatched to the location after an emergency call was received at 3.19 pm.

“Upon arrival, about 80 per cent of the factory was already engulfed in flames. Firefighters took about 30 minutes to control the blaze. We had problems extinguishing the fire since the factory was stocked with flammable materials,” he said when met by reporters at the scene.

However, he said that all eight factory workers managed to escape to safety.

Meanwhile, factory supervisor, Bryan Ng, said that the fire was believed to have been caused by sparks from welding work being carried out by one of his workers.

“At first, we tried to put out the fire but it became so intense and spread to the roof of the factory,” he said adding that the factory had been in operation for the past 31 years.

Ng estimated that the total loss due to the fire was about RM8 million.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — Seven localities – four in Sabah, two in Kelantan and one in Pahang – will be placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) from Wednesday until Sept 28, according to the National Security Council (MKN).

MKN’s national security director-general Datuk Rodzi Md Saad said the affected localities in Sabah are two in Kota Kinabalu involving Kampung Warisan and Rumah Pangsa Tanjung Aru, and one each in Kalabakan (Kilang Fu Yee, Brantian) and Kota Marudu (Kampung Rugading).

For Kelantan, both localities involved are in Mukim Pengkalan Kubur, Tumpat, namely Kampung Bendang Pak Yong and Kampung Simpangan, while in Pahang the affected locality is Kampung Paya Pelong, Kerdau, Temerloh.

“The standard operating procedure (SOP) for all these EMCO areas is similar to that announced previously,” he said in a statement uploaded on Facebook today.

Rodzi also said the EMCO in two localities, one each in Sabah, which is Kampung Lotong, Kota Marudu, and Pahang, namely Kampung Temalian, Mukim Ulu Dong, Raub, scheduled to end tomorrow, has been extended to Sept 28.

Meanwhile, he said the EMCO in two localities in Sabah, namely Kampung Hidayat, Batu 4 in Tawau and Kampung Penangah in Tongod, will end tomorrow as scheduled.

The EMCO in three localities in Lata Rek, Mukim Olak Jeram in Kuala Krai, Kelantan involving Kampung Lata Tuai, Kampung Tok Uban and Kampung Kubang Kerian will also end tomorrow as scheduled.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency