Phew! On Travel Advisory for Women in Malaysia

I was so relieved to hear THIS! At least Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is doing something right. Thank you, Pak Lah!

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‘Better to issue travel advisory’

KUALA LUMPUR: The proposal for women travelling out of the country alone to show a consent letter from their employer or family cannot be implemented, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said yesterday.

He said it was impossible to introduce such a regulation because thousands of Malaysian women travelled overseas annually on official duty or otherwise.

“The proposal to obtain the consent will only create great difficulty, particularly for the Immigration authorities and also the women concerned,” he said.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim had proposed on Saturday that all women travelling out of the country alone be required to show a letter from their employer or family in a move to stop Malaysian women from being duped into becoming drug couriers.

More than 100 Malaysian women have been detained in several countries on suspicion of drug trafficking.

Abdullah said the people would be reminded to be wary of drug trafficking tactics in a move to overcome the problem of syndicates using Malaysian women as drug couriers.

“I will ask Wisma Putra and the Home Ministry to issue a travel advisory asking all Malaysian citizens to be cautious when travelling out of the country,” he said.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said it was not practical to require women wanting to travel out of the country alone to get permission to leave.

He said such a move would restrict their freedom and, as adults, they had every right to travel overseas without restriction if they were eligible to get a passport.

“I think if it’s for children, it’s all right. But they are adults, above 18, and you can’t stop them if they want to go out of the country,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here.

Asked whether the Cabinet had discussed the proposal, Syed Hamid said it had discussed the fact that many young women had fallen victim to drug syndicates and the action taken to monitor those syndicates.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen said the ministry would request the authorities, including Wisma Putra, to furnish details of the women who had been arrested.

“The ministry also urges parents and elders to constantly remind young adults to be extremely careful when travelling,” said Dr Ng.

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Note: News taken from The Star Online.