PADANG BESAR: A container bearing the logo of Israeli-based shipping company ZIM was detected attempting to enter the country through the land route in Perlis.
However, the container truck, carrying a cargo of frozen chicken which had just arrived from the Malaysia-Thailand border, was intercepted by the Customs Department before being immediately ordered to turn back.
Perlis Customs director Ismail Hashim said that the shipment was detected around 12pm on Sunday, after the container truck passed through the scanning tunnel at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security Complex (ICQS) here.
"During the image scanning process, the scanner operator detected that the container originated from Israel based on the ZIM logo displayed on the container's outer wall.
"Therefore, the truck was detained for verification and further inspection," he said in a statement today.
He said that a joint review with other government agencies confirmed that the container was prohibited from entering the country due to its believed ownership by an Israeli-based company.
"We immediately ordered the container truck with its cargo to turn back to the neighboring country on the same day," he said.
On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi ordered an immediate investigation into allegations of the presence of containers belonging to ZIM at a port in Iskandar Puteri, Johor.
He said Malaysia was firm in its stance of not allowing ships belonging to Israeli companies docking privileges in the country, let alone to conduct business here.
This follows concerns raised by Kota Iskandar assemblyman Datuk Pandak Ahmad, who was shocked to receive reports from constituents that there was a container belonging to ZIM at the port.
He had urged the authorities and the government to investigate the allegations to ascertain if they were true.