PADANG BESAR: Aidilfitri leave for Malaysian Border Security Agency (Aksem) personnel and officers nationwide has been frozen as part of efforts to beef up security along the country’s borders during the festive season.
Its director-general Datuk Mohamad Ismail said the move is necessary as cross-border smuggling activities tend to spike before and during festive periods due to higher demand for various goods.
He said Aksem will work hand-in-hand with other relevant agencies to curb smuggling during the period, on top of routine inspections at roadblocks near border checkpoints.
"Smuggling activities are still taking place along the Malaysia-Thai border.
“For instance, we recently foiled an attempt to smuggle 18,700kg of subsidised cooking oil from Malaysia to Thailand; while in Kedah, we seized firecrackers smuggled in from (across the norther border).
"Based on statistics, the smuggling of cloned cars (also peaks at the same time as) the smuggling of other controlled items," Mohamad said at a press conference during his working visit to the Chuping Aksem roadblock yesterday.
The stop was part of his visit to all three of the state’s Aksem border roadblocks, where he also distributed Ramadan goodies to the staff on duty.
On a related matter, Mohamad said the proposed Aksem Act, which will empower the agency to arrest, investigate and prosecute any border-related offence, is expected to come into force by the end of the year.
He said the proposed act was tabled for its first reading at Parliament in April, and the second reading will take place in July.
"We really hope that the Act will be gazetted by year’s end because at present, Aksem's jurisdiction is limited to arresting cross-border-related crime suspects, while the investigations and prosecutions are handed over to respective agencies.
"With the new act, Aksem would have the authority to arrest, investigate and prosecute any border-related offences, which would be done in phases.
"Aksem's role would be more of a coordinator and the new Act was initiated following the discovery of mass graves of illegal immigrants in Wang Kelian two years ago," Mohamad added.
It was reported last year that the Act would strengthen enforcement of security controls along the Malaysia-Thailand border, and would soon be expanded to the Sarawak-Kalimantan and Sabah-Kalimantan borders.