LARUT, April 2 — The Home Ministry (KDN) has reactivated the list of individuals banned from entering the country due to convictions following the reopening of Malaysia’s borders after entering the transition to endemic phase yesterday.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the action was taken to ensure that national security was at the highest level.

"We do not state from which country, but there is a blacklist that we have already prepared to ensure that they will not be permitted to enter our country,” he said at a media conference after the Batu Kurau constituency mosques and suraus donation presentation ceremony here today.

Hamzah said security agencies have been instructed to prepare over a month ago to boost security at the country’s entry points after the Cabinet agreed to reopen the country’s borders.

"Whatever we do, we must be prepared to prioritise national security because even if someone enters normally it doesn’t mean they will not commit a crime because many who enter try to commit crimes and offences in our country.

"So we need to defend not only our country’s dignity but also its citizens’ safety and foreigners who enter Malaysia will also feel relieved that the country is safe to visit,” he added.

On whether the National Action Plan for Countering Violent Extremism (NAPPCVE) needed to be reviewed, he said the ministry, through the special committee, was always studying the lists of individuals who committed offences including extremism and terrorism to ensure the lists remained relevant.

He said the authorities also tightened border controls to curb smuggling activities, especially drug trafficking, and any individual found trying to smuggle contraband would be caught and brought to the court without compromise.

Meanwhile, when asked about Malaysia and Indonesia’s memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the recruitment and protection of Indonesian domestic servants in the country, Hamzah said the application must be made legally.

"We will catch anyone who violates the law, not only foreigners who enter but also those here who might turn domestic servants into victims will be caught and punished,” he said.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a joint media conference with Indonesian president Joko Widodo following the signing that the MoU would ensure the recruitment process and the protection mechanism are implemented comprehensively by related parties according to policies and legal provisions in both countries. — Bernama