4-7-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) You don’t look like a tourist!” exclaimed a Chinese influencer with 493,000 followers on Douyin, who claimed to have been stopped by immigration officers upon his arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in May.
The Douyin user, known as “@壞雨天·退休生活,” shared his experience in a video titled “Arriving in Malaysia and Getting Stopped Again,” uploaded on May 6 this year.
The self-proclaimed social media influencer revealed that during his first visit to Malaysia in March, he was detained for three hours at the immigration checkpoint in Kuala Lumpur International Airport due to language barriers. Only with the assistance of a Singaporean woman who acted as a translator, he managed to successfully clear customs.
He explained that his initial detention was due to having booked a return flight 30 days later, while he had only reserved a two-day hotel stay in Kuala Lumpur. Consequently, the immigration officers refused him entry on reasonable suspicion.
“You have to plan your entire stay, from the first day until your return, for the full 30 days. In the end, I had to book the remaining 28 days’ worth of hotel stays before they let me through,” he recounted.
However, the situation on May 6 left him even more perplexed. He was once again detained by immigration officers at the airport checkpoint. “I got stopped again, this time by immigration at the airport. The customs officer scrutinized my documents for a long time and finally handed me a small slip of paper with a few words written on it, instructing me to go to their office.”
“The process was exactly the same as the previous incident. I thought I had everything prepared this time, including flight tickets, hotel bookings, and visas. How could I get stopped again?” he wondered.
Fortunately, the Chinese-Malaysian customs officer who received him recognized him and explained that the previous officers had detained him because they felt he didn’t look like a tourist.
“He said the note mentioned that I didn’t look like a tourist. I asked him, ‘So I don’t look like a tourist. Are there specific characteristics of a tourist? Should I wear a hat when I come back? Or should I do something to make myself appear more like a tourist?'” he questioned.
The Chinese-Malaysian customs officer clarified that he simply needed to prove his identity as a “social media influencer” to the immigration officers and show them his social media account.
“Well, it went relatively smoothly. I have now successfully cleared customs and I’m heading outside the airport. I’ll be able to take a taxi to the hotel in a moment,” he concluded.
