Malaysian migrants ring security alarms

Malaysian citizens are now redflagged on Australia’s secretive immigration watchlist more than any other nationality.

Malaysian citizens are now redflagged on Australia’s secretive immigration watchlist more than any other nationality.

Malaysian citizens are now redflagged on Australia’s secretive immigration watchlist more than any other nationality, amid concerns the country may become a gateway for scammers, criminals and terrorists.

Documents obtained by The Australian under Freedom of Information laws reveal a flurry of additions to the Person Alert List in recent years has seen Malaysia overtake more populated countries such as China and India.

The PAL forms part of the Movement Alert List and is used for visa processing, border control and investigative purposes.

The electronic database relies on several intelligence streams and is administered by the Department of Home Affairs.

Almost one in 10 active entries on the PAL are people with Mal­aysian citizenship. There are now more entries involving Malaysia (49,867) than China (47,524), which had most entries at the last breakdown in 2011.

 

The Australian has previously revealed how the watchlist has become more hardcore, with 60 per cent of listings now due to high-risk concerns.

The major concern is national security, responsible for about 44.5 per cent of all alerts, followed by serious or high-profile criminals (12.3 per cent).

Malaysia is one of only eight countries where citizens can apply for an Electronic Travel Authority visa online, potentially fast-tracking their entry into Australia. This has been identified as a potential weak link in the system, particularly with false Malaysian IDs available on the black market.

The Australian Border Force has previously targeted supposed Malaysian citizens, blocking their entry to Australia, pursuing visa overstayers and investigating ­immigration fraud.

John Coyne, head of the border security program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, yesterday said with Malaysia being an ETA country, Australia has been forced to rely on its watchlist as an additional safeguard, especially after evidence of organised visa fraud in the construction industry and teams of fly-in, fly-out criminals.

Dr Coyne said Malaysian authorities were also alert to foreign fighters seeking to return from Syria.