PUTRAJAYA, March 10 — An internal investigation on the Immigration Department has commenced following reports that two passengers were using stolen passports to board the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the detailed investigation would give special attention to the department’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) branch.
“We will conduct an internal probe, particularly on the officers, who were on duty at the KLIA Immigration counter during flight MH370.
“I am still puzzled how come (immigration officers) cannot think, an Italian and Austrian (passengers) but with Asian facial features,” he told reporters at the Kembara Bumi Suci 2014 convoy participants meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at Seri Perdana here yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid said the investigation was conducted by a special team, led by Immigration Department Director-General Datuk Aloyah Mamat.
Currently, no conclusion could be made pertaining to the issue as the investigation had only commenced once the actual passport holders claimed that their passports were stolen, he said.
Ahmad Zahid said it was difficult to determine the authenticity of an international passport that was being brought by a passport holder because not all countries used the biometric system and bar code as in Malaysia.
Civil Aviation Director-General Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman in a media conference in Sepang yesterday that only two passengers had false passports to board flight MH370, which was its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Both passengers involved had used the Italian and Austrian passports.
Flight MH370, with 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members was reported missing from the radar at 1.30am on Saturday, about an hour after departing from KLIA.
The plane carried passengers from 14 countries, including 153 Chinese and 38 Malaysians. — Bernama
