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During a week-long trip to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Azmi Khalid is seeking to assuage, if not banish, public concern about the safety and dignity of Chinese nationals in his country.
The notorious video clip featuring a woman, reportedly Chinese, forced into an uncomfortable position in the nude before a female Malaysian police officer has sparked indignation across China.
As the Malaysian minister clarified many times, he is not here to make an apology, as the results of an independent investigation are pending.
His mission is to repair Malaysia's tarnished image, and rebuild Chinese confidence in his country. Azmi represents his government and the Malaysian prime minister's message that Malaysia and its people see China as a friend and its people as welcome guests.
That message was very well received at meetings with tourism, foreign affairs and public security authorities in Beijing. The Malaysian minister received assurance that bilateral ties will not be jeopardized despite the shocking incident.
In terms of diplomacy Azmi's visit has been successful, but it is not the only sphere that Azmi has to tackle the Malaysian delegation is clearly worried about tourism.
One of the first countries to obtain approved destination status from China's tourism authorities, Malaysia used to be a popular choice for Chinese travelers embarking on their first overseas trip.
Malaysian figures show Chinese arrivals plunged by 44 percent from January to September.
The drop is partly attributable to competition from other destinations. It is also significant with regard to the claim that the police abuse scandal, if verified, is an isolated case.
The incident took place in early November and did not attract broad public attention until the middle of that month.
Shen Guofang, assistant foreign minister, did not seem to be making a groundless claim when he passed on to the visiting Malaysians our government's concern that Chinese citizens had been "successively" humiliated and assaulted in Malaysia. This might be one more "isolated case," but the media yesterday carried a fresh complaint about three female Chinese citizens, who entered Malaysia legally, being taken into police custody on December 1.
Several high-ranking Malaysian officials, including Azmi, have stated that Malaysia was not singling out Chinese nationals for harassment.
It is unfair to blame Malaysian authorities for racial profiling based on what we have heard so far.
Azmi once said he was sad about the negative reports the Chinese media has carried about his country.
We hope the independent investigation will convince the public that the fuss was the result of media frenzy. If not, there is a lot that will have to be worked out.
The Malaysian tourism authorities are working on multiple fronts to win back the lost confidence of Chinese tourists.
In addition to simpler entry procedures and Chinese-speaking translators at airports, it has also been suggested that 100 Chinese reporters should be invited to see with their own eyes Malaysian hospitality towards Chinese visitors.
But what is important is regulating a country's law enforcement so that innocent visitors are free of harassment.
It is noticeable that, to date, all the promises that this would not happen again have come from outside the Malaysian law enforcing bodies.
Our travelers have no guarantee of safe passage until a similar promise is made by the Malaysian police.
(China Daily December 7, 2005)
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