The Foreign Ministry said Malaysia will not reciprocate Canada's decision to impose a new visa requirement for Malaysian citizens, which took effect today.

When contacted, the ministry's consular desk official Osman Awang said Malaysia will not impose a reverse visa requirement for Canadian citizens.

The Canadian government said it lifted the visa exemption for Malaysians entering the country due to "security reasons".

A spokesperson for the Canadian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Michael Blackmore, said immigration officials in his country were concerned that the Malaysian passport and passport issuing system could be vulnerable to abuse.

"It might make them (the passports) a target for people who could potentially try to enter Canada illegally," he said when contacted.

Grace period

Blackmore added the decision to impose the visa requirement did not single out Malaysia as several other exemptions had been lifted since Dec 2001.

In total, citizens of 145 countries are now required to obtain visas to enter Canada.

"However, we have added a 48-hour grace period for people who may be in transit at the moment," he said.

Asked if the decision could be linked to a similar requirement imposed on Saudi Arabians weeks earlier, Blackmore replied: "Absolutely not, it is not linked".

He declined to comment when asked if there were prior attempts to enter Canada illegally using Malaysian passports.

Blackmore said it is uncertain whether Ottawa had communicated any suggestions on how security for Malaysian passports could be increased.

"However, the Canadian immigration policy is constantly under review," he added.

He also revealed that a visa issuing office has since been set up at the Canadian High Commission here to process applications.

"We are committed to timely service for legitimate travellers. If the applicant brings in his papers in person, we aim to issue a visa within 48 hours," he said, adding that several applications were filed this morning.

Later, Osman when asked to comment on the concerns about Malaysian passports said the Foreign Ministry may issue a statement on the matter next week.

'Anti-Muslim hysteria'

Meanwhile, Bernama reported that Malaysia has urged Ottawa to review the ruling as it might hurt bilateral relations between the two countries.

"This is not good for the existing bilateral relations and it will affect efforts to increase the two-way trade and investment," said Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, while noting that Malaysia was Canada's biggest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

Syed Hamid, who is attending the Asia-Europe Summit in Denmark, said that a letter of protest had also been sent by the Malaysian embassy in Ottawa to the Canadian government.

Malaysian High Commissioner to Canada Dennis Ignatius said he was "completely bewildered" by the problem with the passports since Canada had never raised the matter with him or the Malaysian government.

"I think the decision is more of a response to pressure coming from external sources rather than to any specific concerns.

"It is not helpful and merely adds to the general anti-Muslim hysteria that is out there," he was quoted as saying in a Reuters report.

The report added that Ottawa has come under persistent pressure from the United States since Sept 11 to tighten security due to fears that groups could use Canada as a base to launch attacks on the US.

However, a spokesperson for Canada's immigration ministry denied the allegation, saying, "We make our own policies here".

The Malaysian government had introduced the use of 'smart passports' since Aug 2000 in order to counter passport fraud. Special chips embedded in the passports contain information of the holder which is readable only with special machines.