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Thursday August 31, 2006

No more applications till Sept 7

PENANG: So many queue numbers have been taken that it will take the Immigration Department at least a week to process the applications for passports.

From Friday to yesterday, 4,000 queue numbers were picked up.

New applications to make or renew passports can only be made from Sept 7.

State Immigration deputy director Emi Rosdianna Rosli said 2,000 queue numbers were given out on the island and another 2,000 in Seberang Jaya.

PACKED: A large crowd waiting at the Ipoh immigration office to renew their passports Wednesday after believing rumours of an impeding increase of passports fees after Thursday.
“On normal days, 300 numbers are given out. But due to the increased number of applicants, we gave out an extra 200 numbers each day.

“We only accept 300 applications a day and have to work till late at night to process them,” she said.

A check by The Star showed that the crowd had dwindled to fewer than a hundred yesterday compared with the long queues reported in the past two days.

College student Lim Chee Weei, 22, was disappointed when told that he had to come back on Sept 7.

“I was hoping to get my application processed today,” said Lim who was urged by his mother to renew his passport after reading an article in a Chinese daily last Wednesday.

Housewife V. Mala, 39, who had been waiting in line outside the state Immigration Department on Beach Street since 6.30am was unhappy with the conditions.

“I've never seen anything like this. Women, children and old folks had to line up in the rain. A covered walkway should be built and chairs provided for the elderly,” she said.

Even though the Immigration Department has refuted rumours of an impending increase in fees for passports, those who started lining up early in the morning did not know of the decision until noon.

Photocopied copies of newspaper articles regarding the issue were pasted on the door to inform the public that there would not be an increase in fees.

Crowds had thronged the department's office since Monday following a report in a Chinese daily that the cost of a passport was expected to increase from RM300 to RM500 for a 32-page document and from RM600 to RM1,000 for a 64-page document after Budget 2007 is tabled.

Meanwhile, in Ipoh, there were similar scenes of crowds queuing up to apply for passports at the Immigration Department

Perak immigration deputy director Norlelawati Roslan said her department processed 600 new applications and renewals yesterday.

“The numbers were still quite normal last week but this week, it has exceeded the usual 400.

“My staff had to stay back until 8pm on Tuesday to process 500 applications,” said Norlelawati.

“With the 600 applications received on Wednesday, we may have to stay back till 10pm to meet the 24-hour issuance deadline,” she added.

Housewife Magdalene Cheong, 44, said her family members were renewing their expired passports despite not having any travel plans.

“We usually renew our passports only when we are going somewhere,” she said.

Clerk Chua Hoon Choo, 36, said she took half-day leave to renew her passport just in case.

However, she has yet to get passports for her three children.

“I guess they won't get to travel anywhere if the fees really do go up. It's just too much money to pay for passports,” she said.

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