kaze_cs

Andrew Khong · @kaze_cs

7th Jul 2022 from TwitLonger

Details of what happened in Serbia-Turkey-Malaysia


Hi everyone! Sorry for the delayed update but the last 72hrs was pure chaos. When we finished ESL Valencia 2022, we were scheduled to fly to Serbia to take part in ESL Melbourne and a month-long bootcamp. Due to mixed information - and unfortunately for me - we found the wrong info regarding visas required to enter Serbia for Malaysians.

Upon landing in Serbia, I was pulled away at the immigration gate because I did not have a visa to enter Serbia, wherelse Chinese citizens do not require a visa to enter. It was at this point where I was separated from the team, there were no outsiders allowed to be with me. I was detained in Serbia for about 12 hours, waiting for the next flight to be deported back to Turkey. RA and Relog had exhausted all possible options and connections to try to ensure my safety in the airport. RA got in touch with the Malaysian Embassy but there was nothing that could be done and Relog tried to locate where exactly I was in Belgrade Airport to ensure that I was safe.

There was really nothing else that RA could have done at this point besides waiting for my flight back to Turkey. They could not do anything either because Chinese citizens require a visa to enter Turkey. When I arrived in Turkey, I wasn’t returned my passport and was told to wait for an hour by the ground staff. 5 hours later, the person was nowhere to be seen and my passport was missing as well. There were no updates from the airline at all.

Because my nationality is Malaysian, I needed help from my friends back in Malaysia to assist me in this matter to reach the right people for help. Thankfully through the tweet, Pinky and Tarmizi were able to reach out to me and get the help I needed. It was at this point where our Foreign Affairs Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, intervened and sent officers to check on me in the airport. After about 9 hours of being stranded in Istanbul Airport, I was finally shown my passport and escorted to the gate for the flight back to Malaysia.

Kelvin had also managed to reach the Malaysia Embassy to ensure my safety in Turkey as well. I had also found out earlier today that our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri, had ensured everything was cleared for me upon arriving in Malaysia and I had a smooth exit at KLIA.

I would like to give a huge thank you to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, YB Ti Lian Ker, Kelvin Pang, Mariah Ahmad, Muhamad Arif, Tarmizi Anuwar, Pinky Koh, Wong, Olympic Council, and Alex Tham for ensuring my safety back home within hours. I am eternally grateful for the help given.

On top of that, I would like to thank Rare Atom and Relog for ensuring my safety in Serbia while being detained and also securing a bootcamp in Germany. Not to forget our fans that have been supporting us all this while!

I am currently on my way to Frankfurt for bootcamp and ESL Melbourne Qualifiers and I will be arriving on 8th July 2022.

Hidup kayu biar berbuah, hidup manusia berjasa. Setiap apa yang dihulurkan, pastinya tidak akan disia-siakan.

The grind never stops!
kaze.

Reply · Report Post