JOHOR BARU, MALAYSIA - Malaysian High Commissioner Datuk N. Parameswaran has hit out at allegations by Singapore that members of his staff abused their VIP privileges at land checkpoints and attempted to ferry an overstayer from the island republic to Johor.

He said it was a "genuine oversight" and not an attempt to abet an immigration offence as claimed by the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Parameswaran said he had investigated the incidents and took appropriate action against the staff concerned to ensure that such incidents did not recur.

"However, I take serious exception to the allegation that a Malaysian High Commission vehicle tried to abet an immigration offence by ferrying a Malaysian overstayer across the causeway," he said in an interview.

Parameswaran explained that a Malaysian worker, who was medically unfit, was discharged by a hospital in Singapore on April 18.

"The hospital sought our help in repatriating him to Malaysia so that he could be treated in our country. The worker was found at our security post at the high commission in a wheelchair at 4pm the same day.

"In view of the worker's medical condition, we made an urgent decision to send him to a hospital in Johor Baru," he said, pointing out that his staff only found out at the checkpoint that the worker concerned had overstayed in the republic by one day.

Parameswaran said the new rules imposed on the High Commission's diplomatic vehicles had affected the high commission's work especially concerning official duties in Johor.

"The new Singapore rules also imply that all the diplomatic staff of the High Commission including myself are suspect and we too have to go through enhanced security measures introduced by the Singapore Government recently.

"The security authorities in Singapore should know well the extent of the assistance and cooperation that the Malaysian security agencies had always given them in the area of crime or our joint efforts to counter terrorism," he said.

The latest salvo began after The Star highlighted the issue concerning the new rules imposed by Singapore, which has been described as unfriendly, including introducing restrictions against Malaysian VIPs and High Commission staff vehicles entering or leaving the island republic.

In a reply via a letter to the newspaper, Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur Chia explained that it was necessary to tighten the Malaysian High Commission's use of the VIP lanes as there had been a number of incidents involving its staff members.

Among them include failing to stop for immigration clearance and not producing identification.He added that the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) implemented the new guidelines at land checkpoints in conjunction with enhanced security measures.