A man has claimed that he has been unable to renew his passport or travel abroad for the past seven years after being barred from entering Sarawak.
Hafiz Hamid, a technical writer currently based in Subang Jaya, told Free Malaysia Today (FMT) that he was first denied entry in May 2018 after arriving at Sibu Airport for a six-day trip to celebrate Gawai with friends.
He said immigration officers informed him that his name was on a “suspects list” and showed him a notice to that effect before refusing him entry, despite the fact that he had previously entered Sarawak more than 10 times via Kuching Airport without issue.
While his three companions from Peninsular Malaysia were allowed to proceed, Hafiz was placed on a return flight to Kuala Lumpur.
Hafiz said the Sarawak restriction appears to have affected his federal immigration records, effectively preventing him from renewing his passport.
The 42-year-old lodged an appeal after his passport renewal application was rejected in 2023 and received a receipt bearing a handwritten note stating “sekatan oleh Imm Sarawak” (restriction by Sarawak Immigration).
“I have not been able to travel overseas at all since 2018,” he said, adding that the situation has been emotionally distressing, particularly as his elderly parents had hoped to perform the umrah and hajj with him.
“My mother cries every hajj season. Without a passport, I can’t do anything,” he said.
Hafiz also said his repeated attempts to seek clarification from both the Sarawak and federal immigration authorities have failed to produce any clear explanation.
“I have never been charged or questioned by any authority. I still don’t know what offence I am supposed to have committed,” he said.
His lawyer, Shamsher Singh Thind, said he intends to issue a letter of demand to the immigration department, describing the lack of explanation as “procedurally unfair and possibly unlawful”.
FMT has contacted both the Sarawak and federal immigration departments for comment.
