• Malaysia's autogate failure is described as the worst ever, affecting tens of thousands of foreign travelers.
• Key entry points like Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Johor checkpoints experienced significant delays.
• The Immigration Department is investigating the cause, considering possibilities of sabotage or technical issues.

Malaysia has faced a significant breakdown of its autogate system, leading to long queues at major immigration checkpoints nationwide. The glitch, affecting over 200 autogates, has trapped tens of thousands of foreign travelers since Friday afternoon. While Malaysian passport holders had no issues, foreigners have been forced to wait for more than four hours at some checkpoints, making it a major disruption for incoming visitors, particularly from Singapore, according to Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, and Dawn.

Among the major gateways impacted are Kuala Lumpur International Airport's both terminals and the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs in Johor. Immigration officials have activated all available manual counters to expedite the clearance process for the affected travelers. According to Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, the director-general of Malaysia’s Immigration Department, "We are currently troubleshooting the system," as officials work on resolving this unprecedented failure, which has been labeled the "worst ever" breakdown of the autogate system, reports South China Morning Post and Dawn.

The cause of the autogate collapse remains uncertain, but investigations are underway to determine if it was due to sabotage or a technical error resulting from a data integration issue. The Malaysian Border Control Agency has stated that all manual counters are in full operation to manage the influx of visitors effectively, with additional personnel deployed to oversee the situation. Travelers using the checkpoints should expect delays while the issue is being rectified, according to Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, and Dawn.