KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Popular Israeli vlogger Nas Daily entered and left Malaysia legally, Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud clarified today.
The vlogger whose real name is Nuseir Yassin caused a stir when he was spotted in Melaka on Sunday, but the Immigration chief told Utusan Malaysia that the former has passports from Saint Kitts and Nevis as well as his native Israel.
As Malaysia does not formally recognise Israel, the latter’s passports are not recognised here.
“He (Yassin) is an Israeli citizen. What I want to explain here is that he entered Malaysia using a passport from another country, not a passport from Israel.
“He uses the passport of Saint Kitts and Nevis, which is a country in the Caribbean community,” Khairul Dzaimee was quoted as saying at the launch of the Placement, Employment and Income (3P) Programme at the Mantin Resident Reintegration Centre, Nilai today.
According to him, Yassin entered the country on October 16 and left on the same day with his Saint Kitts and Nevis passport.
“It is understood that Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship can be obtained by citizens from other countries, so he entered the country and exited Malaysia using the same passport.
“He cannot enter using another passport and exit with another passport; I understand that he then entered Singapore using an Israeli passport,” he said.
Khairul Dzaimee explained that the Israeli consequently did not breach the Immigration Act as he entered and left legally as a tourist.
“If he uses the passport in question (Israel) he will not pass the country’s entrance because we know Malaysia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
“That is why entry approval under the tourist pass can be granted upon his arrival through the passport of the country of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
“The important thing is that it must be a genuine passport issued by the issuing country and that the individual does not have any records either in the immigration system or Interpol,” he said.
He added that it was not illegal for a person to enter the country with a valid passport with dual citizenships.
Earlier, Yassin shared his excitement about being in Melaka on his social media platforms.
“Thirty years ago, I was banned from entering Malaysia because of my Israeli passport. So, I went to buy a new citizenship to be able to enter and show you,” he shared on his Nas Daily pages.
He then teased his fans on an upcoming video of his experience in Melaka.
Nas Daily is most notable for his one-minute-long videos that map his travels around the world.
