Politic-Economic-Society-Tech

Manila police seize 104 passports

Philippine police have arrested a Malaysian man at Manila international airport who was carrying 104 passports and $50,000 in cash.
The man arrested, Azmi Bin Salleh, said he was a travel agent based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

He had planned to board a flight to Kuwait, with a stopover in Bangkok.

Police said the passports could have been intended for use by members of Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda group, but there was no immediate evidence to support this.

A report by aviation security chief Brigadier General Marcelo Ele said Mr Bin Salleh was carrying a map of Afghanistan and a mobile phone with the name Osama Bin Laden displayed on the screen. But officials conceded this was not a criminal offence.

Officials said Mr Bin Salleh, 42, was still being investigated and they did not know if he would be charged.

Pilgrimage?

It is possible he could be charged with violating customs regulations, which set a $10,000-dollar limit to the amount of foreign currency that can be taken out of the country.

Malaysian Ambassador Taufik Mohamed Noor told AFP that initial investigations showed the man wanted to apply for visas in Manila for a group of Malaysians planning to perform a pilgrimage to Mecca.

This was apparently to get round Saudi Arabian visa regulations under which countries are allowed a set quota.

"Initial investigations show he was trying to beat the Malaysian regulations and might be trying to use the Philippine quota as the Malaysian quota may have already been filled up," Mr Taufik said.

Malaysian citizens are expected to obtain their visas in Kuala Lumpur using accredited agencies.

Mr Taufik said Malaysian laws also barred its citizens from holding another person's passport.

source: ВВС, 08/02/2002