TUMPAT: The Finance Ministry takes the threats against border enforcement agencies seriously.
Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the ministry was ready to protect enforcement officers who were carrying out their duties.
"The Finance Ministry has followed the development of an incident where officers were threatened by individuals.
"I was informed that there was a shooting incident involving Customs officers who were trying to curb smuggling activities.
"On behalf of the government, I would like to thank the Customs officers for their sacrifice," he told a press conference after visiting the Pengkalan Kubor lmmigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) complex here today.
Later, Amir Hamzah, accompanied by state Customs director Wan Jamal Abdul Salam Wan Long, met the four Customs officers who survived the shooting last month.
The four officers, aged between 39 and 58, were attached with Pengkalan Kubor station.
Recalling the incident on June 19, one of the officers said it was a miracle that they were not injured.
The incident happened when they were conducting an operation at Pulau Ular along the Malaysian-Thai border in Sungai Golok.
"When we arrived at the area, we saw smugglers unloading fuel.
"The smugglers immediately escaped by jumping into a boat belonging to an accomplice, who then fired at our team.
"They fled in the direction of Thailand."
He claimed the shooting incident was not the first.
In April, smugglers shot at the ICQS jetty but no one was injured.