Australia's High Commissioner to Malaysia has publicly responded to criticism of the country's immigration practices after a group of Malaysian women were blocked from flying by an Australian official at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Key points: The rejection of the young Malaysian women spurred accusations of racism and profiling from their compatriots

The rejection of the young Malaysian women spurred accusations of racism and profiling from their compatriots Malaysians have been identified by Australia as frequent visa over-stayers and illegal workers

Malaysians have been identified by Australia as frequent visa over-stayers and illegal workers Australia has 30 officials placed at airports around the world tasked with preventing illegal migration

On August 1, 23-year-old Shazrin Zahari and five of her friends were asked to step aside at airport security as they went to enter the boarding lounge for their AirAsia flight to Perth.

A plain-clothed Australian woman asked for their passports and "asked lots of detailed questions without a proper introduction," Ms Zahari told the ABC.

The group already had their tourist visas approved and had booked and paid for accommodation for their five-day trip to Perth, planned for August 2 to August 6, she said.

When it emerged that each traveller only had around $350 each, although Ms Zahari had a credit card with a 20,000 ringgit ($7,050) limit, they were refused permission to board the flight.

Ms Zahari said she and her friends instead took their tourism dollars to Krabi in Thailand. ( Supplied )

The official told them she thought that they were going to Western Australia to work illegally to pick fruit, Ms Zahari said.

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"If we knew from the beginning that she was an immigration officer we would have told her everything," she said.

Ms Zahari told the ABC that her friend had emailed the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur but had not yet received a response.

"My friends bought new winter coats, new clothes just to go to Perth," she said.

"We don't really care about compensation. We just really want an explanation on this matter, because our intention was really for vacation purposes."

She instead took to Twitter to tell the story — and her tweet was retweeted more than 22,000 times. Many Malaysians accused Australia of racial profiling and discrimination.

It triggered a personal response from Australia's High Commissioner to Malaysia, Andrew Goledzinowski.

"I can't comment on your specific case, but about 400,000 Malaysians visit Australia without problems," he wrote.

"But some come to work illegally or to overstay."

"Unfortunately Malaysia is currently number one in this category … it's not about 'profiling' … Malaysia is one of only four countries in Asia that get visas online.

"We have to pay attention to who is coming to Australia and for what purpose."

Australian officials at airports 'push the border further out'

The Australian official, who according to Ms Zahari did not identify herself except as somebody "from the Australian embassy", was one of Australian Border Force's airline liaison officers (ALOs).

ALOs work to intercept passengers identified as potentially not complying with Australian immigration requirements.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, there are 30 ALOs "strategically located" at 17 major airports around the world. Kuala Lumpur is one of three locations along with Guangzhou and Dubai where there are officers posted on a long-term basis.

"Australia welcomes large numbers of Malaysians to Australia each year, including tourists, those visiting family or friends and those wanting to study or work," a Home Affairs spokesperson told the ABC in a statement.

"All travellers coming to Australia need to ensure they hold the correct visa and that they abide by the conditions of that visa."

"To be a deemed a genuine visitor, an individual must have, or have access to, the means to support themselves while in Australia," they said.

Border Force's airline liaison officers work at airports across Asia and the world. ( AAP: Dan Peled )

In a statement issued in response to Four Corners reporting in February, the Australian Border Force said that ALOs are "trained to identify individuals attempting to travel to Australia using fraudulent identity and travel documents, and those who are not travelling on the correct visa".

"The Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force (ABF) play an important role in ensuring all travellers enter Australia through appropriate channels," the statement said.

"This activity is not limited to any nationality, race, gender or religion."

According to John Coyne, head of strategic policing and law enforcement at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the deployment of ALOs across the world has been "a remarkably successful program … which pushes the edge of the border further out."

Mr Coyne said that while Ms Zahari's case seemed "unusual", the processes at the border by ALOs are "made on the balance of probability" and decisions could never be made "beyond reasonable doubt."

Malaysia is a major source of visa over-stayers

Last month, the ABC reported on an "orchestrated scam" whereby increased numbers of Malaysian nationals are entering Australia on electronic visitor visas then applying for protection visas to stay longer.

It was reported that Border Force officials deny entry to around 20 Malaysians at Australian airports each week.

Between July 2017 and February 2019, 1,779 Malaysians had their visas cancelled before clearing immigration.

The ABC reported in September last year that 10,500 Malaysian nationals are in Australia unlawfully — a significantly higher number than people from any other country.

While 59 per cent of all applications for protection visas lodged in Australia in 2016-17 came from Malaysian and Chinese citizens alone, only 2 per cent of Malaysian applications were granted.

Last month, Malaysia's Deputy Foreign Minister Marzuki Yahya said that many Malaysians were drawn to Australia because of higher wages and a "world-class" education system, not because they were being persecuted at home.

People smugglers have also been known to provide fake Malaysian travel documents, for example to Vietnamese nationals, to allow them to travel to Australia and apply for asylum.

There are Australian Border Force officials permanently based at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. ( Flickr: Rusdhi Mohamad )

But Ms Zahari, who is Malaysian-born and bred, is heading to the UK in September to gain her chartered accountant professional qualification — for which the UK has already issued a student visa.

"Obviously" she has no interest in picking fruit or applying for asylum, she told the ABC.

"I still think Australia is a beautiful country," she said.

"As far as being denied without proper reason, it's really given me anxiety to try and travel there again. Maybe things will change in a few years and I will be able to go there."