A Malaysian immigration officer caught on video slapping a Bangladeshi has been suspended from work, the Malay Mail reports.
A video of the incident went viral. The victim, a Bangladeshi man, was applying voluntary repatriation 3+1 program at one of the counters when the slapping took place. He was standing at the counter when the officer slapped him.
In a brief nine-second video, an officer manning the counter can be seen slapping a man’s face, before harshly pressing down the latter’s hands.
Director General of Immigration Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said the department had “immediately” taken action on the immigration officer, whose rough actions were recorded in a video gone viral, by interdicting him.
“The actions of that officer clearly affected the department’s image and contravene the code of ethics of the department and public service. The department will not compromise on officers that commit a breach of integrity that leads to the department’s reputation and image being disparaged, and will not protect those who commit such wrongdoings,” he said in a statement.
“Serious action will be taken without compromise including the firing of officers who commit wrongdoing,” he also said, adding that the immigration department will not hesitate to take disciplinary actions based on country’s public officer’s regulations.
Mustafar had used the phrase “tahan kerja” or interdiction to describe the action taken on the immigration officer in the video, which is similar to a suspension.
