KUCHING: Sarawak police are making early preparations to improve border security ahead of Indonesia's planned relocation of its capital to east Kalimantan.
State police commissioner Datuk Ramli Din (pic) said it was important to anticipate the problems that would arise after the move and to plan the measures that would need to be taken.
"When the capital is moved from Jakarta to east Kalimantan, we foresee that a lot of social problems will emerge.
"We have to make early preparations to anticipate problems like human trafficking and smuggling of contraband, drugs and firearms," he told reporters at the General Operations Force (GOF) headquarters here on Thursday (Jan 9).
Ramli said police would look into the need to increase the number of personnel along the border and come up with an action plan.
"Now, we are brainstorming and listening to all the district police chiefs along the border so that they can raise any issue that they think is important for us to take up," he said.
He added that police personnel, including those from the GOF, were currently stationed in about 10 posts along the border.
"On top of that, we have district police who also cover the border area," he said.
Last August, Indonesian president Joko Widodo announced that he had picked east Kalimantan as the location for the country's new administrative capital, as Jakarta was overcrowded and sinking.
According to news reports, the new capital will be built in Kutai Kartanegara and Penajam Paser regencies, with work set to start in 2024.
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