A Srimurugan told FMT that Section 9 of the Immigration Act 1953 (Act 155) empowers the immigration director-general to cancel any pass or permit in the interest of public security.

“When Malaysians travel to other countries, they must abide by the laws of the country they visit regardless of their views.

“If a foreigner comes to Malaysia and makes disparaging remarks, the government is within its rights to revoke his or her visa or permit,” he said.

He also denied that this would affect freedom of speech, saying the Federal Constitution only confers freedom of speech on citizens.

However, he said the revocation of passes must be done according to due process.

“Before revoking a permit or visa, the government has a moral duty to inform them of the reasons for cancellation,” he said.

He added that not all remarks would cause foreigners to lose their permits.

“Only if they paint Malaysia in a bad light, or if it was their intention to defame the country.”

Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud had warned that foreign nationals would have their passes revoked for inaccurate statements aimed at damaging the country’s image.

This followed a controversial episode of Al Jazeera’s 101 East programme on the alleged mistreatment of migrants during the recent lockdown.

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