Visa requirement for Middle East visitors soon?

The National Security Council has proposed that foreign visa requirement for visitors from the Middle East be introduced by the Malaysian government to check the entry of Daish militants into Malaysia.

NSC secretary Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad said Malaysia has imposed visa requirement on 34 of 201 countries, mainly in the African continent.

"We'll see whether we should impose visa requirement on countries involved in conflicts or countries that we have identified to be sources of Daish militant activities.

"If they can enter freely, it would be hard for us to track them when they are in this country," he said.

He said this when met at the Aidilfitri Open House hosted by Tumpat UMNO division acting chief Datuk Mohd Rosdi Ab Aziz at Kampung Kubang Batang here, today.

Alias said the NSC would direct Bank Negara and the Companies Commission of Malaysia to monitor financial transactions between Malaysian companies and international companies to curb channeling of funds to the militant group.

He said the NSC was also monitoring social media communications in and outside the country and constantly working with intelligence agencies abroad on Daish.

"With intelligence cooperation in and outside the country we hope to curb and restrict the channeling and flow of information involving Daish through social media.

"I believe in regard to the Daish organisation within Malaysia, it can be contained by our security forces particularly the Royal Malaysian Police and Malaysian Armed Forces," he said.