KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 827,921 Malaysians have been barred from leaving the country for various offences, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today.

In a written parliamentary reply to Er Tech Hwa (DAP-Bakri), Zahid said the number represented Malaysians who had been blacklisted by the Immigration Department since 2011.

Zahid said 200,727 were blacklisted after being declared bankrupt, while another 118,892 were blacklisted after failing to pay off their study loans.

“A further 520 people are barred from leaving the country due to security offences,” he said.

The remaining 507,782 blacklisted Malaysians, he said, were guilty for various other offences.

Zahid said those blacklisted could not leave the country unless they received prior permission from the relevant authorities.

Malaysians can check their current immigration status by visiting http://sspi2.imi.gov.my/ and keying in their IC number. They can also call 1Malaysia One Call Centre (1MOCC) at 0388801000. -nst