KOTA BARU: A plan to enhance airport security controls will be presented to the Cabinet next week following the arrest of a Malaysian pilot in Indonesia on suspicion of drug smuggling.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the Cabinet last week tasked multiple regulators to draw up plans to strengthen airport security.
They include the Home Ministry, Transport Ministry, Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), Aviation Security, Malaysia Aviation Commission (Mavcom) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM).
"The agencies met yesterday, and I understand that a paper on the plan to enhance airport security controls will be presented to the Cabinet at next week's meeting," he told reporters after visiting the family of the late Cpl Mohamad Nur Hafiz Rahim in Ketereh here on Wednesday (Aug 12).
Mohamad Nur Hafiz was believed to have died from an electric shock in Beaufort, Sabah last week.
Saifuddin Nasution said the plan would cover coordination, training, infrastructure and logistics, including the control and operation of scanning machines.
He said airport scanning machines were operated by the AVSEC team in accordance with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), with emphasis on detecting bombs, sharp weapons and firearms.
"If contraband appears on the screen, it can certainly be detected by the scanning machine. However, the screening procedures do not fall under the routine security checks carried out by the police or AKPS, so we need to realign the procedures," he said.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had raised the matter with His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, who had urged all parties involved to give priority to airport security.
He added that the matter was not only about security but also the country's reputation, particularly as Malaysia had recorded strong tourist arrival figures.
The 39-year-old Malaysian pilot was arrested by Indonesian authorities at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on suspicion of attempting to smuggle 25 kilogrammes of drugs. - Bernama
