‘FOREIGN BAN DUE TO THEFTS’
Malaysians not affected, says foreign minister
THE closure of the Malaysia Hall Canteen in London to foreigners is due to security factors, said Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
He said thefts, including the theft of passports, were reported to have occurred there frequently, prompting the ban.
“However, the decision does not affect or involve Malaysians as they need only to present their identification documents to enter (the Malaysia Hall Canteen). “There is no problem for them. “If they come with foreign nationals, the matter can be considered at the discretion of the personnel involved,” he said at the Futsal Championship for Indera Mahkota parliamentary constituency at Gelanggang Futsal Kampung Tiram here yesterday.
Saifuddin said this when asked to comment on the report yesterday on the closure of the Malaysia Hall Canteen to foreigners and the stricter security checks on Malaysians wishing to have their meals there.
Saifuddin described the canteen operating at Bedford Row, London, as unique because it was the only embassy that opened its canteen to outsiders wishing to have Malaysian food at subsidised prices.
When asked to comment on the albout-turn by Saudi Foreign Minister Abel Ahmed Al Jubeir regarding the status of the RM2.6 billion given to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, he said the matter depended on the results of the investigation.
“The statement made by Abel in 2016 is not within my jurisdiction. The investigators can evaluate his statement. What is important is that he will cooperate on the issue,” he said.
Saifuddin said his meeting with Abel yesterday was the second after the one at the United Nations assembly in New York last month.
“In New York, Abel had confirmed that the money was not from the Saudi government or King Salman’s family and yesterday, I did not ask, and yet he repeated the same statement,” said Saifuddin.