Liew – A volunteer happy to help Chinese visitors
KUALA LUMPUR: Serving as a volunteer at the Chinese consulate in Kota Kinabalu is a point of pride for Tan Sri Andrew Liew.
The Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce president has been helping visitors from China who faced a language barrier in their business dealings or claimed to have been cheated
“We try our best to sort out their problems,” he said, adding that he has been a volunteer for five years.
Liew was among 18 Sabahans who were in town for a oneday workshop on “Consular Protection and Assistance” held by the Chinese Embassy. They were joined by a group of Chinese nationals residing in Malaysia.
Launched by China’s Ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian, the event saw talks delivered by several organisations on topics ranging from law enforcement and tourism to legal cooperation.
Deputy Supt M. Thamarai Letchumi from the police’s international liaison unit shared statistics on the arrests of foreigners over law enforcement issues.
“One common issue is that Chinese tourists come to us when they have visa issues, while our focus is on crimerelated problems involving expatriates and visitors,” Thamarai Letchumi said.
Chinese students Liu Kai Xin and Zhao Tian Tian, both 20, and studying journalism at the Xiamen University Malaysia Campus, attended the workshop as both were volunteers at tourist helpdesk at KL International Airport and klia2.
“We help inbound Chinese tourists who face visa issues or problems with immigration authorities,” said Liu.
Bai and the embassy’s counsellor for consular affairs Liu Dong Yuan also launched the WeChat account for the Chinese consulate in Malaysia.
The WeChat account allowed users to gather information on visa issues, medical help, transportation, local public holidays and local cultural norms.
In his speech, Bai said it was affirmative that the ChinaMalaysia relationship would stabilise after the recent general election and reach new heights.
He added that 2.2 million Chinese tourists visited Malaysia last year, with an average 16,000 visitors per day.
There were also 15,000 students from China in the country and 35,000 Chinese nationals working here, he added.
Up to 85% of the staff in Chinese companies here were Malaysians, Bai said.