KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen spent about RM4 million on overseas trips during her tenure as tourism minister for the past four years, her successor Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said today.

Nazri said in a written reply to Seremban MP Anthony Loke in Parliament today that Ng had spent RM491,987 on a one-week trip to the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe in May, 2010, where she had visited London, Munich in Germany and Milan in Italy.

Ng's six-day trip to Turkey and Spain in November, 2011, cost RM271,200.

Ng has come under fire from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers for her official travel bills, saying she was more of a "tourist" than a "minister".

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The MCA vice-president, however, was recently appointed as the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board chair.

Nazri reportedly defended her appointment, saying that Malaysia wanted to attract tourists from China.

The tourism and culture minister also revealed today that Ng had spent RM1.3 million on eight overseas trips in 2009, RM1.28 million on 13 trips in 2010, RM814,142 on six trips in 2011, RM588,547 on six trips in 2012, and RM35,400 on one trip in January 2013.

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