KUALA LUMPUR, 5 April 2020:
Police have increased control and surveillance of the country’s waters following attempts to bring in illegal immigrants via ‘rat lanes’.
Disclosing this, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said some irresponsible parties were trying to smuggle illegal immigrants into the country by boat during the current Movement Control Order (MCO) period.
“There are attempts (to bring in the illegal immigrants) via the east coast of Sabah and the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and this is being monitored.
“I personally went down to the security post at Morib Beach, Sepang to remind and motivate the police to increase patrols so that the illegal immigrants could not slip in as they bring risks.”
Meanwhile, a boat with 202 illegal immigrants – believed to be Rohingyas – was detained near a beach resort in Jalan Pantai Kok, Teluk Nibung, Langkawi here this morning.
Kedah and Perlis Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) deputy operations director Maritime Captain Zulinda Ramly said the boat was detained 1.2 nautical miles southwest at about 8.45am.
“The boat was found to have 202 people, comprising 152 men, 45 women, four boys and a girl. They have all been detained and taken to the Kedah and Perlis MMEA lock-up in Bukit Malut this afternoon and they will be handed over to the Immigration Department for entering the country illegally,” she said in a statement.
Zulinda said all MMEA personnel involved in the case took stringent measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection among the illegal immigrants.
“The Kedah and Perlis MMEA is investigating reports from the immigrants regarding the boat skipper and his three crewmen, who are believed to have escaped while at sea.” The four are suspected to be members of a syndicate smuggling in immigrants.
Asked about the use of drones, IGP Abdul Hamid said the technology was effective and has helped to monitor the movement of people during the MCO to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“Praise be to Allah, the drone technology has been particularly helpful in red zone areas. For instance, in Simpang Renggam in Johor and Sungai Lui in Hulu Langat, the drones have helped the police and armed forces to obtain accurate data on the location of houses.
“To go to each house in the red zone would be difficult, so we use drones which save time and reduce the risk of enforcement personnel from being exposed to Covid-19 infection.”
Abdul Hamid said the drone would be flown high to see the entire red zone to track the rat lanes.
“The drones are flown at high altitudes to monitor areas that are hard to access by the police to detect the rat lanes so that roadblocks could be imposed.
“Now police have mobilised every asset to ensure the people comply with the MCO to break the Covid-19 infection chain.”
The armed forces and the police are using drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to help with the MCO monitoring to contain the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Abdul Hamid said the presence of military personnel had improved the implementation of MCO with more roadblocks and patrols being carried out.
“We used to have issues on shelters (at the roadblocks) and so on, now (it has been resolved with) military tents and the military have logistics for such tasks.”
He also assured the police had a sufficient number of personnel to carry out enforcement works throughout the MCO period. “The task is very challenging, but the police have enough officers and members, we also have reserve personnel who can be mobilised when needed.”
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Tan Sri Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat urged judicial officers to consider the issue of the risk of spreading Covid-19 facing prisons in the country when imposing sentences on violations of the MCO.
According to a statement issued by the Federal Court Chief Registrar’s Office Corporate Communication Unit, taking into account the provision of penalties under the existing law in sentencing the offenders, all judicial officers were advised to consider the risk of spreading the outbreak faced by prisons.
However, it is up to the court to consider the appropriate forms of punishment taking into account the risk of transmission of the outbreaks facing prisons.
Malaysian Prison Department’s director-general Datuk Seri Zulkifli Omar had suggested those who violated the MCO be sentenced to community services without being jailed.
Zulkifli said the Prison Department believed it would be a major problem if Covid-19 was to spread in prison because, apart from the impossibility of implementing social distancing, prisons could also become the place for the proliferation of the contagious disease and could endanger the lives of prisoners and staff.
Prior to this, magistrates and sessions courts throughout the country had sentenced offenders to jail terms of several days and months and fines of between several hundreds and RM1,000 as well as a Compulsory Attendance Order (PKW), a community service programme, for some offenders including senior citizens and juveniles for flouting the MCO.
Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said during the Special Ministerial Committee on MCO’s meeting today, it was decided that issue will be discussed between the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Prison Department soon.
– Bernama