The Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Tan Sri Abdul Aziz had announced in June 2015 that the Cabinet had agreed to waive Visa requirement for group tourists from the People’s Republic China (PRC) effective from 1 September 2015.
The officers of Tourism Malaysia (TM) including yours truly have conveyed the good news to the tour operators and tourists in China about the above concession granted by our government and that the detail mechanism will be set by Immigration Department in due course.
The tour operators and tourists were pleased with the said announcement and they wanted to know about the mechanism, which TM was in no position to provide.
After a long wait of three months, late evening of yesterday (26-8-2015), which was 5 days before 1st September 2015, TM has been formally informed by KDN that it had finally agreed to waive the requirement of Visa for group tourists from PRC effective from 1st October, 2015, subject to the following conditions:
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Waiving of Visa / Temporary Social Pass will only be granted to group tourists from RRC traveling with tour operators registered with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (KPK) and the group must consist of at least 20.
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The Temporary Social Pass will be limited to 15 days for each entry into Malaysia and no extension will be granted;
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The approved entry points are by air transport via KLIA, KLIA-2, airports in Penang, Senai, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Langkawi;
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The said Temporary Social Pass holders will not be allowed to apply for other Permits or Passes;
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This Social Pass will only be granted for those traveling on a direct flight from PRC to Malaysia and they must have a return flight ticket;
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The applicants for the Temporary Social Pass must provide proof in the forms of cash, credit card, ATM with the logo UnionPay and place of abode at the time of arrival;
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In the event that any tourist under this category failed to return or violated any conditions or regulations set by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the tour operator will be fined in the sum of RM1,500 per tourist and if any tour operators have violated the above conditions for three times or more then it will be black listed and they will not be allowed to bring in any tourists from China; and
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KPK have to submit weekly report on the black listed tour operators to the Immigration Department for actions to be taken against them.
SPPV One Stop Center
It must be noted that under normal circumstances every tourist from PRC had to pay visa application fees of RMB80 Malaysian Government and on top of that the applicant had to pay another RMB120 as Service Fees to a strange outfit known as SPPV One Stop Center.
This SPPV One Stop Centere has been jointly operated by Ultra Kinrana Sdn Bhd and Beijing Lingxiang International Entry & Exit Service Co Ltd.
This SPPV One Stop Center has processed a minimum of 1,500 applicants daily! It has been operated by these two companies for many years.
In the spirit of wooing tourists to our country, yours truly hopes that the group tourists will be also be exempted from paying the Service Charge of RMB120, which is higher than the Visa Fees charged by the Malaysian Government. Our Government should also look into waiving of Visa for tourists from India.
SPPV One Stop Center deserves a separate posting for discussion in the near future.
YB, Ultra Kinrara is also running another set up in India just like the SPP One Stop Center. It is collecting about RM100 per applicant for visa to Malaysia. Please check this out if you don’t believe me.
It is true that Kinrara is also involved int he Visa Service Center in India. Please do sometime to stop it because it is no good for our tourism. If it is 1,500 applicants a day in China, collection for the service fees will be in the region of RM100,00 a day! just think about this and yet we are making it difficult for tourists to apply for visa.
Maybe off topic but in a way related to tourism are the implications arising from the QZ8501 crash report:
1.Nurcahyo Utomo said AirAsia pilots were not properly trained on handling Airbus aircraft when they were severely destabilised as it was not recommended by the manufacturer.
But the former head of France’s aviation authority, the BEA, which governs France-based Airbus, furthered that AirAsia had not followed the agency’s rules on training.
The BEA set new regulations for pilots after Air France flight AF447 between Rio and Paris was lost in the Atlantic Ocean in 2009, under similar circumstances to the AirAsia flight.
“Several recommendations of the [BEA] on the subject of pilot training were clearly not implemented by this aviation company,” former BEA director Jean-Paul Troadec said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-02/poor-pilot-emergency-training-behind-airasia-crash-analysts/6995644
2.There are conflicting predictions about whether or not a similar crash, or more specifically, a similar reaction to such an alert, would happen if faced by an American crew.
Ganyard said that it is “very unlikely,” citing “better training, better pilots, better maintenance, better procedures.”
Ganyard said “poor decision making by the crew, improper actions by the crew, inability of the crew to recover from a stall” were the deadly factors, “all pointing to poor training, procedures and skill.”
On the other hand, Nance says that it could be a potential problem anywhere when executives cut safety training in an effort to trim costs.
“This is a systemic breakdown which is very typical when an airline puts money over safety,” Nance said.
He said today’s report is “a scathing indictment, not just of that airline and its failure to focus on maintenance and training, but of airlines including any of the United States carriers that fail to understand that aviation safety is a very delicate balance in which one does not just throw airplanes and flip switches.”
“We have as much propensity in this country — as in any other country — in which airline leaders fail to understand that maintenance must be perfect or as close as you can get to it, and pilots must be trained extensively, even beyond the minimum requirement,” Nance said.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/airasia-crews-actions-major-factor-crash-expert/story?id=35509516
I reckon plenty of news like these two will leave many a stomach queasy about setting foot on a “flying coffin” shrouded by poor maintenance and tombstoned by even poorer piloting skills. Could all that also have played a role in people suddenly and coincidentally calling in sick in droves the same day the report was released leaving many passengers or thrill seekers clueless,hapless and helpless? Or is it because the falling share price and bulging losses are indicators enough for a restless crew…….I wonder but then again this is Malaysia of truly Asia fame…..hahahaha
I have wrote about the quirky and temperamental ADIRU (Air Data Inertial Reference Unit) in Airbus the before, so I rest my case. Leaving for Honolulu tomorrow(wink wink)
FYI, Ultra Kirana S/B has got 5 centers in China, each area with different local China cooperate companies. The man behind it is a a Sabahan chinese with a the power that be. This Sabahan goes to Hong Kong every month to do the necessary. You know what I meant by that.
The person in charge of China operation is a Sabahan as well: Raymond Chong. Raymond also always goes to Hong Kong to bring the necessary.
The top embassy staff and Immigration Department are well taken care of.
Beside China, the others center under Ultra Kirana include India (3 centers), Taiwan, Phillipine, Bangladesh, Pakistan & etc…….the plan is to have center where there’s Malaysia embassy. If allow i’ll post more detailed info…..
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No wonder, Malaysia is so very slow in implementing the visas free for tourists. we only hear many announcements about visa free like thunder with no rain.
Ultra Kinrana is well connected. The high ranking officers in the Immigration Department will do all they can to protect and keep this company to run the Visa One Stop Centre. You all should know the reason behind it. Ultra Kinrarna will be protected all the way.
Also this Raymond fella of Ultra Kirana paid excellent attention for the well being of ex-CG of Guangzhou on golf games & 19-hole .. . Mr Fran… now relocated to Moscow.
This co’s fully owned by Lee’s family of Sabah.
OMG! Ultra Kinrana is very very powerful. No wonder, our government dare not take any action to terminate this One stop Money Making Center. This Hairy Lee is very well connected. What is the Immigration Department doing it? of course, Nothing. Lets expose them naked.
As long as the govt carries on to maintain this bull shit One Stop Center/Ultra Kinrana Sdn Bhd, the Chinese tourist arrivals will never going to improve.
Our neighbors (Thailand, Singapore & Indonesia) are laughing at us. So PM Najib please take immediate action to stop this One Stop Center for the sake of our tourist industry.
As usual the govt priority is their pocket…..raymong chong & Francisco munis both are kaki massage & spa
I thought that Free Group Visa was to be implemented on 1.12.2015. It is now almost Xmas and the free Group Visa is still pending. It will never see the light of the day because the visa fees is too good for everyone including …. Need I say anymore???
i am a Sir Lankan who is visiting Malaysia frequently with my friends and family members. Until 2012 we have to pay Rs five hundred for single tourist visa to Malaysia.In 2012 the visa center was outsourced to Foshwa Lanka ltd a visa processing agent and they have charging processing fee of Rs 3756.00 which is around 800% of visa fees. Most of Sri Lankan are reluctant to visit Malaysia for this reason. Even the Malaysian cabinet announced the e-visa programme allowing visitors from seven countries namely China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the United States and Canada to apply for Malaysia’s tourist visas online when I inquired from Malaysian Embassy in Colombo ,they have ask me to contact Foshwa lanka to get visa to Malyasia.
The
Ultra Kirana SB & Immigration clowns photos
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3855936
Shanghai clown photo….blood sucking co & causing the country to lose on tourism.
The Evisa applications have to go through Window Malaysia, which is connected with Ultra Kinrana. It is now operating the One Stop Visa Visa Centre in China, India and elsewhere. The question is why must Evisa applications have to go through Ultra Kinrana. Ha! Ha! Ha! We all know the nonsense.
another announcement of visa free. It is a joke. Visa Free but must pay US$20 to Ultra Kinrana. Visa free means no charges. Malaysia is a laughing stock internationally.
3 announcements by PM nothing happened. Now Visa Free. Visa Free need to pay service charge. It is not visa free then. If no visa needed what service is required from that money making service center? The government must stop it before we lost the Chinese tourists. We have already lost hundred of thousand of Chinese tourists to Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.
visa free but Ultra Kinrana is collecting RMB400 about RM200 as its processing fees. What is there for them to process except processing the RMB400 into their bank account. Malaysia is under attack in the social media in China and the govt and Ultra Kinrana are still playing the fool with the Chinese tourists. In Indonesia and other countries, when the Visa Free was implemented there is no fee of any kind involved.
The object of implementing visa free is to attract tourists and not to chase them away. In Malaysia context, visa free is to provide opportunity for a private company to make money at the expense of the country.
This visa Free nonsense is affecting the image of Malaysia being a corrupted country.
The govt better stop this Ultra Kinrana before it kills tourism in Malaysia.
YB i have been told that the processing fees for chinese tourists is not RMB200 but it can be as high as RMB500 depending on where the tourists are from. The PM had announced visa free then there shouldn’t be any processing fees because there is nothing to process when it is visa free. It is just a con job for a few to make money at the expense of the country. Like in ASEAN countries, tourists need to just buy their flight tickets and go. No need to pay any processing fees. In Indonesia visa free for Chinese tourists and they don’t have to pay for any processing fees to a private company like Ultra Kinrana. The visa One Stop Centre is a scam. It should be stop otherwise our tourist arrivals will be badly affected.