KUALA LUMPUR: The recent incident at the Malaysia-Thailand border in Kelantan, where diesel and petrol smugglers fired shots at Customs Department officers, will not deter their resolve to combat smuggling, assured director-general Datuk Anis Rizana Mohd Zainuddin.
"We note the incident involving the a group believed to be smugglers who fired shots toward our personnel who were conducting diesel and petrol smuggling operations at Kelantan on Wednesday.
"While we are thankful that none of our personnel were injured in the incident, we will not allow it to affect our spirits in shouldering the responsibility of collecting revenue for the country," she said in a statement on Saturday.
She said it would also not affect their role in providing trade facilities and border control.
"Challenges and obstacles during enforcement duties are routine for our personnel in maintaining the sovereignty of the country.
"We will enhance our strategies to block smugglers and prevent leakages in revenue so that our country may prosper," she said.
Anis said the department was commited to handling issues involving smuggling and will take stern action against those who are involved in cross-border crimes based on all available laws.
It was reported that smugglers at the Malaysia-Thailand border in Kelantan fired shots at Customs Department officers during an enforcement operation on Wednesday.
Kelantan Customs director Wan Jamal Abdul Salam Wan Long was quoted saying the incident occurred in Kampung Simpangan, Pengkalan Kubor, Sungai Golok, at 9.45am.
As a Customs team arrived at an illegal jetty known as Pok Mat in Kampung Simpangan, goods were being unloaded from 15 engine-powered boats, believed to be petrol and diesel.
The team approached one of the boats that was loaded with barrels believed to contain fuel. An officer jumped into the boat.
The smugglers tried to escape by jumping into a boat belonging to an accomplice who aimed a pistol at the raiding team. They fled by river in the direction of Thailand.
The smugglers fired two shots into the air and at the enforcement team as they fled.