SEPANG: Chris Leong, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner renowned for his "tit-tar" treatment, has arrived back in Malaysia after spending about two months in detention in Indonesia.
Leong, 43, and his 19-member team were arrested in Palembang, Indonesia, on Jan 9 after they were accused of violating their tourist visas and conducting illegal commercial activities in the country.
"The case is closed and I can still go there (Indonesia) in the future, provided I have proper documents and paperwork," he told reporters after touching down at Kuala Lumpur International Airport here today.
Leong and his team were met upon arrival by Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob.
"I would like to thank the Foreign Ministry and the Indonesian authorities for their help in resolving the issue," said Leong.
"The process to verify the documents took quite a long time... but we were all released thanks to all the charity work we did in the country previously," he added.
He said he and his team arrived in Palembang on Jan 8 to conduct charity work with Indonesian Chinese medicine practitioners as well as provide "tit-tar" treatments for the elderly.
Leong also advised Malaysians travelling overseas to ensure their travel documents were in order and to abide by the rules of the countries they were visiting.
Indonesian media previously reported that Leong and his team were arrested by the Indonesian Immigration Department for violating their tourist visas. They were investigated under the country's immigration laws.
Leong and his team - made up of 16 Malaysians, two Hong Kong residents, one Belgian and one Irish national - were arrested during a raid at a four-star hotel in Palembang.
Meanwhile, Shahrul Ikram reminded Malaysians to adhere to the laws of the countries they visited.
"Lately, Malaysians have been facing various problems with their visas. This case is one example.
"So Malaysians have to be careful. For example, if we have tourist visas, we may be accused by the host nation of doing something illegal (if we conduct any kind of business)," he said.
Shahrul Ikram also expressed his gratitude to the Indonesian authorities for their cooperation.
"They conducted their investigation and after we appealed, they decided not to bring the matter to court," he said.