$4,500 gone: Malaysian newlyweds miss honeymoon in Turkey after passport gets soaked from rain in Singapore

A pair of newlyweds in Malaysia were forced to take a rain check on their honeymoon trip to Turkey due to a water-damaged passport.

Muhammad Fikry Bin Azman, who has been working as a cleaner in Singapore for over three years, told AsiaOne on Dec 21 that his passport had gotten soaked after he was caught in a heavy downpour while travelling back to Malaysia last Saturday (Dec 16).

"There was heavy rain and thunderstorm at Tuas Checkpoint, and it was raining heavily in Johor too," recounted the 29-year-old.

He only realised that 80 per cent of his passport had gotten wet after arriving home in Johor, reported Malaysia news outlet mStar.

"The bag is not waterproof, and the passport does not have a cover," he explained.

As he and his wife Nur Amira Fatin Binti Norazmi were busy with last minute preparations for their nine-day long honeymoon, however, they did not immediately dry Fikry's passport.

The couple joined a tour group organised by a travel agency, and were due to fly to Turkey from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Dec 17, according to mStar.

Lost the RM16,000 he already paid

When the couple arrived at the airport at about 1am, however, Fikry discovered that his passport was still wet and they had no tools to dry the document. 

A panicked Fikry quickly rushed to dry his passport in the airport toilet, but he was reportedly informed during check-in that his passport had sustained water damage.

"Even if I was able to pass through [Malaysia immigration], there might be problems when I arrive in Turkey," he told mStar.

The man also revealed that he had initially cried at the airport, but realised he was at fault after he calmed down later. His wife Amira also decided to stay in Malaysia and forgo their honeymoon trip.

Fikry told AsiaOne that he had started saving for their honeymoon since his engagement to Amira in April this year. The pair got married in November.

Unfortunately, the couple was unable to recover the sum of RM16,000 (S$4,580) that they had already paid to the travel agency.

Despite this setback, Fikry hopes to visit Turkey with his wife next year.

ALSO READ: Singaporean claims his passport was torn at Malaysian checkpoint

lim.kewei@asiaone.com