Home Ministry to draft Bill to set up central coordinating agency to monitor country's entry points, says Fahmi

PUTRAJAYA: A new Bill is in the works by the Home Ministry to establish a central coordinating agency to oversee the country’s entry points, says Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

The unity government spokesman said the Home Ministry will draft the new Bill, where the one-stop agency will involve several other government agencies responsible for guarding the country’s entry points and will grant it the legal authority to operate effectively.

"The security aspects at the country's entry points continue to be a focus, not only in terms of security from incidents like the shooting incident at KL International Airport (KLIA) but also important issues such as smuggling.

"We expect the Home Ministry to bring a new Bill soon, creating a coordinating agency among the relevant agencies.

“This was discussed (at the Cabinet meeting) today," he said at a press conference Wednesday (April 17).

Fahmi was asked if the Cabinet is taking measures to increase security after the recent shooting incident at KLIA.

Last Sunday (April 14), gunshots were heard at KLIA in the early hours, fired by a man who was allegedly targeting his estranged wife, who was awaiting the return of her clients who used her travel agency services to perform Umrah.

The suspect initially threw firecrackers in the victim’s direction before firing two shots at close range, both bullets missed the target, but one injured the victim’s bodyguard, who sustained a wound to his stomach.

The suspect was arrested 24 hours later by the police in Kelantan after fleeing.

Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, in a separate event, revealed the police did not engage in a shoot-out with the suspect in the shooting incident at the KLIA Terminal 1 (KLIA 1) as bystanders were at risk and could have been injured – or worse after the public questioned why the authorities did not take immediate action.