Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said such violations were not minor administrative issues as they carried major risks to the national border control system if not dealt with strictly, Bernama reported.

He said the practice of irregular stamping for entry and exit was a serious violation of standard operating procedures.

He said the department has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of compromise in the execution of duties at the country’s entry points, especially at customs, quarantine and security complexes, identified as high-risk zones.

The department also conducts integrity checks, strengthened through spot checks and round-the-clock CCTV surveillance, to ensure full compliance with SOPs, he added.

Zakaria said even though the Malaysian Control and Border Protection Agency had taken over control duties at entry points, the immigration department remains a vital agency managing 10 immigration aspects and security checks.

He singled out identity theft and misuse of border documents as key threats identified at entry points along the Malaysia-Thailand border.

Zakaria said the National Integrated Immigration System is used to analyse visitor and tourist data in-depth, effectively reducing dependence on fully manual checks.

The department is also improving cooperation via system integration with international entities, such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation, for passport confirmation and sharing other security data, such as stolen or lost documents, he said.

“Technical cooperation such as this ensures travellers from Thailand or other countries undergo strict vetting processes, in accordance with global standards,” Zakaria added.