JOHOR BARU: Travellers at international checkpoints, including Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), could be subjected to stricter head-to-toe checks in the government’s efforts to improve national security, says the Home Minister.
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the checks would be conducted on passengers or baggage for destinations that are deemed “high risk”.
“The checks will be stricter from head to toe. And we have a profile of destinations that are considered high risk based on past incidents,” he said after attending the closing ceremony of the Malaysia-Singapore joint cross-border emergency response exercise for the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link here yesterday.
He said this was part of the 17 Cabinet-approved recommendations to strengthen security controls, screening and risk management at KLIA and the country’s international entry points.
The recommendations, contained in a joint memorandum by the ministry and Transport Ministry, were approved on Aug 19.
This followed a series of drug-related incidents detected at KLIA in August and October, including two attempts to smuggle cannabis flowers and ketamine weighing a total of 16.39kg worth RM1.03mil on Oct 9 and Oct 12.
As for the RTS Link, Saifuddin Nasution said travellers would pass through body scanners that could detect weapons and substances such as contraband goods.
“I have gone through the demonstration myself. The scanner was able to detect firearms and sharp objects on the body. So there is no space for someone to wrap (substances) on his body as the scanners will be able to detect it,” he added.
In addition to 100 e-gates, the Bukit Chagar Immigration, Customs and Quarantine Complex for the RTS Link is also equipped with 10 security screening lanes for body checks, 18 baggage scanners and dedicated lanes for passengers travelling without luggage.
All these are aimed at minimising bottlenecks and ensuring smooth passenger flow.
Earlier in his speech, Saifuddin Nasution spoke of the importance of a joint field exercise held with Singapore on Tuesday.
He said the exercise was to test out cross-border standard operating procedures developed by both countries before the RTS Link operates officially in February next year.
“This cross-border exercise reflects the close relationship between Malaysia and Singapore in strengthening bilateral cooperation and improving our readiness in facing crisis and emergency situations along the RTS Link alignment,” he said.
Singapore Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Sim Ann, who also officiated the ceremony, said the joint exercise yielded three outcomes, namely communications between both sides, deployment of emergency personnel as well as the command and control.
“These outcomes demonstrated effective response and showed a clear understanding of their roles even in a fast-moving emergency situation,” she said.
The exercise tested the operational readiness and inter-agency coordination and interoperability of both countries in ensuring timely and effective joint management of a complex emergency scenario that might occur on the RTS Link train and tracks.
It included joint firefighting operations, medical triage and casualty evacuation, as well as coordinated cross-border emergency response.
The RTS Link, which has the capacity to serve up to 10,000 passengers per hour per direction, is a 4km shuttle service that connects Bukit Chagar in Johor Baru to Woodlands North in Singapore.
