Malaysia refuses entry of 99 foreigners

The group included 80 Bangladeshi men, 10 Indian men and 9 Pakistani men following a special seven-hour operation at Terminal 1 last Friday, targeting flights deemed "high-risk," Bernama reported.

They were refused entry for failing to meet the requirements of the immigration screening process.

All of them had entered Malaysia on tourist visas.

The reasons cited for rejection included "suspicious" hotel bookings, failure to appear at the immigration counter, and not carrying sufficient funds, Malay Mail reported.

They underwent further documentation processes before being deported to their countries of origin according to existing legal procedures, the agency said in a statement, adding such enforcement measures would be stepped up periodically as a proactive strategy to tackle human trafficking and abuses of social visit passes.

Earlier, Malaysian authorities had deported 131 foreign nationals, including 96 Bangladeshis, on July 11. Another 198 foreigners, including 123 Bangladeshis, were deported on July 23 for similar reasons.

Malaysia welcomed 13.3 million foreign arrivals in the first four months of this year, marking a 21% year-on-year increase.