Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - CX drop Malaysia

Lat flight to Malaysia is April 12.

This is due to absurd demand from Malaysian Authority.

Malaysia imposed visa requirements on travellers from Hong Kong to curb the spread of a deadly flu-like disease.

Beside this, Malaysia has also asked all Taiwan traveller to show english document to prove they didn't have SARS.

Just let their tourist industry goes down.. even after the SARS is finished... I will not be going there.. it is such an insulting move!

If the country said I MAY subject to quratine, that's OK. In fact, I asked my Mum to go body check before going to US for my graduation, just in case. But an Visa requirement for this reason is unreasonable.

Well, a lot of HK residents have Canadian, or American passports.

What is Malaysia going to do about that?

How about English and Australia, 2 other majors? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif
Oh I happen to hold Japanese passport in addition http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

I read somewhere that regular influenza kills 30,000 people every year. Is this true? Would this mean that the media went nuts on the SARS?

Dave - Japan

davistev, I don't pretend to know anything about this that we all haven't seen on TV, but I think the difference is the apparent ease with which SARS spreads from victim to victim. Without the really aggressive quarantines and isolation they're imposing, they're afraid millions could be infected in almost no time at all, overwhelming all the medical facilities in the world and leading to a frighteningly large number of deaths for lack of intensive care.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by davistev:
I read somewhere that regular influenza kills 30,000 people every year. Is this true?</font>

That's in the USA alone. Worldwide, influenza kills 250,000-500,000 per year according to the WHO. My website has analysis on the SARS outbreak in HK and the relative risks. http://home.so-net.com.hk/~pns/

The Malaysian rule is for all HK residents, so it includes foreign passport holders (like me). There is an exclusion for people on business trips and people who have investments in Malaysia.

The next steps Hong Kong should do is the following:

- Release all the quarenteened. Let everyone out and run around.
- Have the media start running stories on the people that have been designated with SARS and are walking, not coughing and are breathing okay. Why do I not hear diddly about the 2000+ cases that are not dead?

It is very difficult to travel when one doesn't know if one will be denied a visa before entering into a country simply because of location embarkation. That practice has got to be stopped, now. It will kill the industry.

Shutting down the HKG node in the network, seriously disintergrates travel to and from almost all destinations.

SHADO

Am I right to think this problem (i.e. no CX service HKG-KUL-HKG) will go away when SARS goes away (which it presumably will before all that long...)?

I need to go to KUL on an upcoming RTW. Hmm...

SHADO:
I can't agree more with your liberal view.

Christep:
Why can't the rest of the world understand simple facts you have always stated. I hope your message will get across to those unfortunate to be brain washed by the media.

Hmm...this is pretty annoying news, since I'm in the middle of a KUL-NYC-KUL trip and was due to return in a few weeks. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

On another note, with regard to SARS: I do agree that the media has--to an extent--blown it out of proportion. While it is true that the "normal" flu and other diseases have a higher mortality rate (SARS kills 3.7% of it's victims), I that that it's the unknown element of SARS which frightens people like the CDC. Apparently, during the Spanish Flu pandemic, more than 20 million people died in only 18 months, and this flu had an even lower mortality rate than SARS.

So, does that mean I won't travel to Asia? No. But, it does mean (to me anyway) that the statements saying it's ridiculous to even be concerned about SARS are just as far from the truth as those saying everyone ought to stay inside their house and wear a mask. Just my thoughts... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Agree to most of the media hype criticism and ridiculous behaviour for the Malaysian government (shouldn't we be used to it by now?)

The problem with SARS from an epidemiological standpoint is that we don't know its true communicability. Is 2000 infections enough, and will the virus like the flu recede during the hot months -- or is this just the initial bout of infections, leading up in 3-4 months to the exponential growth we see with true superflus, pestilence etc. As christep has pointed out correctly, it is the unknown that scares people, not the dry facts of the disease.

Malaysian government is overreacting that's all. I remember many years ago when AIDS was 'new'. The Malaysian government said that they are posting officers at check points to prevent people from entering Malaysia with AIDS.

It demonstrates yet again how out of touch Dr Mahatir is with the rest of the world.

Hear hear!

you cannot blame Malaysia. Hong Kong inherited the bug from the S China epicentre. The border control physical health checks between HKG and China are still non existent. Incredible kow-towing to China by our lame administration here.
It is the responsibility of the HKG Govt to institute this forthwith - it should have happened weeks ago to effect isolation of the carriers and prevent re-infection. If the HKG Government can show the WHO they have set in motion procedures to prevent re-infection then perhaps Malaysia will drop their visa ban and the bug will disappear.

According to the HK Govt website ( http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/ap.htm and follow the "News" link) the Malaysian government has now withdrawn the visa requirement for HK citizens.

Malaysia Lifts Ban on Travelers from SARS Areas
Sun April 13, 2003 01:25 AM ET
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Malaysia said late on Saturday its recently imposed travel restrictions on residents of Hong Kong and two other countries hit by a deadly virus had been lifted for the time being.
Besides Hong Kong, restrictions on Vietnam and Canada also had been suspended. But China, whose initial efforts to cover up the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) at home helped spread the virus around the world, did not appear in the Malaysian government revised list.

"Malaysia has decided to suspend temporarily the imposition of visa requirements to the following passport holders of Hong Kong...Vietnam and Canada with effect on April 12," the Consulate-General of Malaysia in Hong Kong said in a statement.

No confirmation was immediately available from the Malaysian government.

The statement did not explain Malaysia's sudden turnaround on the restriction decision which was made just four days earlier, prompting criticism from Hong Kong that it was an over-reaction.

Malaysia, a popular destination for Hong Kong tourists, has reported four cases of the pneumonia-like disease and one related death.

A mainland Chinese carrying the highly contagious virus died in Hong Kong last month after infecting scores of others. SARS has now infected more than 1,100 people in the city and there have been 35 deaths.

The former British colony ranks second after China as the worst-hit area. SARS has infected more than 3,100 globally and has left 120 dead.



Malaysia Lifts Ban on Travelers from SARS Areas
Sun April 13, 2003 01:25 AM ET
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Malaysia said late on Saturday its recently imposed travel restrictions on residents of Hong Kong and two other countries hit by a deadly virus had been lifted for the time being.
Besides Hong Kong, restrictions on Vietnam and Canada also had been suspended. But China, whose initial efforts to cover up the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) at home helped spread the virus around the world, did not appear in the Malaysian government revised list.

"Malaysia has decided to suspend temporarily the imposition of visa requirements to the following passport holders of Hong Kong...Vietnam and Canada with effect on April 12," the Consulate-General of Malaysia in Hong Kong said in a statement.

No confirmation was immediately available from the Malaysian government.

The statement did not explain Malaysia's sudden turnaround on the restriction decision which was made just four days earlier, prompting criticism from Hong Kong that it was an over-reaction.

Malaysia, a popular destination for Hong Kong tourists, has reported four cases of the pneumonia-like disease and one related death.

A mainland Chinese carrying the highly contagious virus died in Hong Kong last month after infecting scores of others. SARS has now infected more than 1,100 people in the city and there have been 35 deaths.

The former British colony ranks second after China as the worst-hit area. SARS has infected more than 3,100 globally and has left 120 dead.

The annual influenza deaths generally are the elderly and the chronically-ill who have to die of something eventually.

The worldwide figure pales in comparison to the 1917-21 "spanish" influenza that killed some 30mm people worldwide - and generally the under 30s (it's believed older people were immunized by something that cameout earlier).

Travel restrictions on SARS-hit nations remain, says Malaysian health minister 15 April

Malaysia's travel restrictions on residents of Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Canada will stay, so as to keep the SARS virus from spreading, says Health Minister Chua Jui Meng.
"The cabinet decision last Wednesday is that they are in place," Datuk Chua told a news conference on Monday evening.
"Until the cabinet says otherwise, they are in place."
Last Wednesday, Malaysia introduced visa requirements for people from Hong Kong and a temporary freeze on tourist arrivals from there and mainland China in a bid to block the spread of the SARS virus.
Malaysia also imposed visa requirements on travellers from Canada and Vietnam, both hit by the outbreak of SARS.
However a Malaysian immigration official was quoted as saying earlier Monday that his country, in a new immigration circular dated April 10, had dropped Hong Kong from the visa requirements but had added Taiwan.
Government officials, business travellers and students are exempted, but only if they produce a medical declaration that they are free from SARS symptoms, the official had said.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/37519/1/.html

Malaysia lifts SARS travel curbs for Canada, HK, Taiwan visitors
Malaysia has lifted visa restrictions on visitors from Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan, imposed last week in an attempt to prevent the spread of SARS, and eased curbs for those from China and Vietnam.
The government said it was encouraged by effective screening of both outgoing and incoming travellers in the countries affected by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/37729/1/.html

Malaysia's back but other flights reduced further.
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1330836-6078-0,00.html