'Embarrassment to the state', says Johor chief minister after hours-long blackout hits Causeway checkpoint
SINGAPORE — A blackout at Johor Bahru's Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ) that went on for at least 11 hours was an "embarrassment", the Malaysian state's chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi said on Wednesday (Dec 6).
The situation had resulted in heavy departure traffic at Woodlands Checkpoint "due to tailback from Malaysia", Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Wednesday afternoon.
"Delays are expected and travellers are advised to check traffic conditions before embarking on their journey," ICA said in a Facebook post, adding that travellers should check its page for more updates.
Earlier, travellers stood in the dark while waiting to clear immigration at Johor Bahru, with several social media users saying that electronic customs gates and air-conditioning were not working from around 8pm on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post, Mr Onn Hafiz included a photo of a notice stating that power outages were expected at the Sultan Iskandar Building and CIQ from 8pm on Dec 5 to 4am on Dec 6 due to maintenance works.
The letter, dated Nov 27, was from Malaysian electricity company Tenaga Nasional.
It was unclear why the outage continued after 4am.
“What is happening is a huge issue for users and an embarrassment to the state,” Mr Onn Hafiz said, adding that he had instructed Tenaga Nasional and the Malaysian public works department to quickly resolve the situation.
He also questioned why there was no backup power at the complex.
In a video posted by TikTok user "lavinesh_lavonn" at 5.30am, travellers can be seen lining up in the dark, with several using their mobile phones as flashlights.
Another TikTok video of the immigration centre posted by user "thilashinynathan1222" — which had more than 3,500 views in five hours — showed snaking lines of travellers waiting to go through the manual immigration counters.
The same user later posted that it took her five hours to clear the immigration and head across the Johor-Singapore Causeway, with three hours spent standing in the dark at the CIQ.
However, some social media users in the Facebook group "Woodlands Checkpoint Human Traffic" reported that electronic gates at the Sultan Iskandar Building were working again at around 10am on Wednesday, although escalators were still switched off.
On Tuesday, Malaysia Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that most foreigners intending to visit the country from Jan 1 will be required to fill up the country's digital arrival card. However, he added that Singaporeans travelling to Malaysia will be exempted.
Days earlier, the country's immigration department said on Facebook that the arrival card would be compulsory for all foreign nations, sparking confusion among Singaporeans about whether the requirement would apply to those entering the country via its land borders.
TODAY has contacted Malaysia's immigration department, Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia, for more information about the outage.
