BUKIT KAYU HITAM SHOOTING POSSIBLE RESPONSE AGAINST MCBA ENFORCEMENT - DG

BUKIT KAYU HITAM, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain has not discounted the possibility that this morning’s shooting incident involving an agency commander was a response by parties affected by enforcement action conducted by his agency.

Mohd Shuhaily said the agency was ready for such possibilities and he had reminded his officers and personnel to be cautious of any threats recently.

”In the last four weeks, I mentioned the possibility of criminal threats in a speech to my commanders. So we have paid attention and this morning, we did not expect that it would escalate to such a level,” he told reporters at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex here today.

He was commenting on this morning’s shooting involving a vehicle driven by Bukit Kayu Hitam MCBA commander SAC Mohd Nasaruddin Mohd Nasir near the entrance of Al Muhajirin Mosque, about a kilometre from the Malaysia-Thailand.

He noted that the Bukit Kayu Hitam MCBA had seized almost RM3.1 million worth of contraband in an operation between Jan 15 and Feb 15.

“It’s a new record for Bukit Kayu Hitam … but carried the risks we saw this morning,” he added.

Mohd Shuhaily also shared that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail fully supported the MCBA, and that the prime minister had contacted him early this morning asking him to ensure improvements were carried out within the agency.

“Among the things we see, is that MCBA personnel are not supplied with firearms… this is a scope that could be improved soon, along with bulletproof vests and such, matters that can ensure the safety of my subordinates,” he said, as he assured the public that there was no need to be concerned by the shooting as it was an isolated incident that did not involve the public.

Mohd Nasaruddin, he said, was in a safe, stable condition and in high spirits.

"He comes from a unit that is trained to control their emotions and reactions. We see that he is calm and safe and committee to his duties. That’s what we want from all our officers and personnel in Bukit Kayu Hitam," he added.

-- BERNAMA