Disrupted autogates back in operation
SEPANG: More than 380,000 foreign travellers were affected at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (BSI CIQ) for two days due to an autogate technical issue, says Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain (pic).
The Malaysian Border Control and Protection (AKPS) director-general said the disrupted autogate system was restored on Saturday night.
'As we speak, everything is already up and running,' he told reporters at KLIA Terminal 1 here yesterday.
He said the glitch was due to a technical issue related to integration between the MyIMMS system database and the database of an international authoritative body.
'This had led to the checking process being delayed,' he said, adding that the root cause is being investigated from all angles, including the possibility of a cyberattack.
'At this time, we do not think so and I do not want to give any perception that could worsen the situation. For now, let us find out what had happened.'
He said all manual lanes have been opened while AKPS made an announcement about the problem to enable travellers to change or postpone their journey.
'That's the best that we can do to reduce the number of people coming into the country,' Comm Mohd Shuhaily added.
In Johor Baru, checks at BSI showed that the crowds thinned out by midnight on Saturday.
The disruption, described by officials as the worst in recent years, affected more than 200 autogate machines nationwide.
A Singaporean visitor, who wanted to be known only as Lim, was relieved that the issue was rectified as he had to attend a funeral in Johor.
'I saw photos of the huge crowds on Friday and Saturday and it looked really bad. Imagine queuing for four to five hours.
'Today, when I entered the bus hall, the place was empty and I cleared immigration within 20 minutes,' he said yesterday.
Another Singaporean, who wanted to be known only as Salmah, said it was good that all was back to normal at BSI.
'I was supposed to visit relatives on Saturday but delayed my trip after pictures of large crowd came out in the media.
'I am glad that there was no crowd just now and that immigration officers were also around to ensure everything was smooth flowing,' she said.
The autogate system disruption on Friday had left tens of thousands of travellers stranded. — Photo from Johor Mentri Besar onn Hafiz Ghazi's Facebook page.
Salmah hoped the authorities had a back-up plan in case of system failure.
'Many of my friends wanted to come to Johor over the weekend, but they changed their minds,' she added.
The Star first reported the chaos which erupted at major entry points across Malaysia as tens of thousands of foreign travellers were left stranded for hours following a massive nationwide failure of the autogate system on Friday.
Long queues were reported at KLIA and land border crossings, particularly in Johor, where many Singaporeans were caught in the gridlock at BSI and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex.
At the BSI complex alone, there are 39 autogates for exit and 29 for entry, while KSAB has 12 in operation.
Since June 1 last year, visitors from 63 countries, as well as diplomats serving in Malaysia and their family members, are eligible to use the autogates for faster clearance.
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