COMMENT | Hundreds of families in Malaysia are experiencing prolonged emotional trauma from separation. These are families of Malaysians married to foreign spouses.

While the Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud has stated that foreign spouses and children of Malaysian citizens can apply for permission to enter the country, this only applies to those that are returning from countries which have no travel ban.

The group that we are concerned with are those from countries where a travel ban has been imposed. The ban includes citizens from 23 countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, et cetera.

While the immigration department states that it will review applications and appeals based on emergencies and compassionate grounds, we still