No reason to worry, border security tightened - Ismail Sabri

KUALA LUMPUR:The National Task Force (NTF) will be meeting this week to discuss measures on how to further tighten border controls following two shooting incidences at the Malaysian-Thai border last week that killed a security force member and injured two others.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said there may be a need for reinforcements, especially members of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), there.

"The NTF will look closely on other needs as well, whether to set up new control posts and such or for added assets needed by the military and the police... all these will be discussed," he said at the media conference on the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) here yesterday.

Ismail Sabri, who is also Defence Minister, said those in the northern region should not worry as the NTF has added reinforcements there.

"I was made to understand Chief of Defence Force (Gen Tan Sri Affendi Buang) and the Inspector-General of Police (Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador) sometime this week will be providing more details on measures to be taken," Ismail Sabri said.

Last Thursday, Ismail Sabri said the government is considering increasing the number of MAF personnel at the Malaysian-Thai border area to strengthen security control in the area where the shootings occurred.

At the same time, he said the ministry will continue to cooperate with the police in order to improve operational alertness in the area.

Last Tuesday, a General Operations Force (GOF) personnel Sergeant Baharuddin Ramli, 54, was killed while his colleague Sergeant Norihan a / l Tari, 39, was seriously injured during a shootout with a group of smugglers, about 600 meters from the TS9 control post in Padang Besar.

The following day, another member from the same battalion who was on duty at Post M16 in Bukit Kayu Hitam was injured after being shot by an air rifle.

Kedah police later said that the GOF personnel may have also been shot by a smuggler.

-- BERNAMA