Malaysians Fume China National Get Lenient Sentence Over Assault On Female Immigration Officer

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WRONG is wrong.
Break the law and you will get your comeuppance. That’s precisely what happened when a mainland China woman pleaded guilty to causing harm to an immigration officer at KLIA Terminal 1 on Aug 14.
The assailant identified as Fang Fuyan, had grabbed hold of the officer’s headscarf and shoved it into a post. The altercation occurred over a misunderstanding pertaining to the visitor’s prior entry records into Malaysia which required further checks.

It was reported by BFM News (@NewsBFM) on X that the Sepang Magistrate’s Court had slapped Fang with a RM2,000 fine and a month behind bars.
The post has already generated 517.7K views with many commenters expressing shock, horror and outrage that the tourist got away with a perceived light sentence. One commenter even suggested blacklisting not just the assailant but her entire family.


One commenter made it ultra clear that he thought that the sentence was too lenient.

The fine was also ridiculed for being chump change and thus ineffective as a deterrent.

A few also opined that it was a waste of resources to jail the offender when it was better to just deport immediately.

It was also surmised that if the offence had been committed by a local citizen, there would have been hell to pay, with even the pet cat’s name exposed on social media. This commenter observed that not only the face of the assailant was pixelated but the sentence seemed rather light.

While many citizens decried the seemingly lenient punishment meted out, the reality of the situation is rather more complicated.
There is no doubt that the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign is in the minds of the powers-that-be. Mainland Chinese represents a huge demographic with seven million targeted arrivals for next year’s tourism extravaganza.

It is obvious Malaysia needs to strike a balance between portraying itself as a safe, law-abiding country and a welcoming tourist destination.
Lest it be forgotten that there will obviously several versions of the encounter that will flood social media, particularly in China.
The authorities need to ensure the country’s image and good name is not besmirched with allegations of impropriety or even rudeness from the immigration staff.
A lot of effort has been made to woo visitors from China and the hospitality industry is dependent on them making the trek to Malaysia.
This includes the 30-day visa-free entry for tourism purposes but this should NOT include the law being bent to suit the needs of visiting tourists, regardless of their numbers.
One commenter simply declared that if you break the law, then you must face the consequences. 


- Focus malaysia

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