JITRA: The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry (KPDNKK) today announced a collaboration with the army to beef up security at the Malaysian-Thai border to curb the smuggling of subsidised items to the neighbouring country.
Its enforcement director, Datuk Mohd Roslan Mahayudin, said the cooperation is part of the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS), which will see the Ministry working closely with border security agencies to curb cross-border smuggling.
Roslan said through the collaboration, soldiers stationed along the border will become the eyes and enforcers of the Ministry.
"This collaboration is crucial, as we need to beef up security at the border to curb leakage of the country's subsidised items, following the move to extend our border checkpoint operations to 20 hours daily, beginning next month.
"The army will help to apprehend (smugglers) and seize subsidised goods that are being smuggled across the border.
"We cannot station our enforcement team at the border all the time, hence this cooperation with the army is vital," Roslan told reporters after attending a briefing on the KPDNKK enforcement Act at the Malay Regiment’s 6th Battalion's Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Camp here on Tuesday.
He said according to records, the army foiled 48 smuggling attempts between 2013 and this year, with 16 of the cases occurring along the Kedah-Thai border.
Roslan said seizures involved diesel, petrol, cooking oil, LPG gas and flour.
He added that the extension of checkpoint operations at the border to 20 hours is good, as it will bring more trade into the country.