KUDAT: KeepingSabah’s vast waters safe and free from criminal elements is not easy, if not impossible, but that is just what Lieutenant Maritime Rashidilhadi Md Deris and his men intended to do.
On board of KM Berani, a high speed Maritime Enforcement Agency (MEA) Malaysia vessel, the 24 crew memberss accompanied by several enforcement officers from the Customs, Immigration and Fishery Departments, set out to the sea on November 17 as part of a massive multi-agencies operations carried out here.
But a full one-week integrated operation jointly carried out with five other enforcement agencies is a demanding and complicated affair. Everything has to be perfectly coordinated.
“Operation like this is all about synchronization, coordination of activities and resources. One of the objectives, apart from deterring, detecting and taking action against criminal activities, is to develop stronger understanding and cooperation between the different agencies.
“This is part of our effort to work together as one single unit, to better utilize our combined resources so that we can ensure the country’s security and sovereignty more efficiently and effectively. But the challenges in this kind of operation is not than just logistic and communication,” he said.
The joint operation codenamed Ops Setia Besepadu, was carried out by the Navy, Police, MEA, Customs, Immigration and Fishery Departments.
The operation was a continuation of a similar one in 2009, an effort to strengthen maritime law enforcement among various enforcement agencies along the State’s vast coastal waters and borderlines.
Some 445 officers and personnel from the six agencies, supported with four high speed vessels, two helicopters and an experimental unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), relentlessly combed the waters between Kudat and thePhilippinesborders for any suspicious actvities.
Knowing the tactic of smugglers, who often hide under the cloud of stormy weather to sneak in and out of the State’s waters undetected, the men in white and blue stood their ground against punishing thunderstorms.
They guard the ocean against opportunists who are always on the lookout for a chance to slip contraband, narcotics, undocumented immigrants and even firearms into the State.
“The weather was fine in the first two days of the operation, but then it started to rain. And out there, there is no such thing as drizzle or breeze. The weather is always magnified and you feel the full wrath of mother nature. Yet, you have to brave it out, you and all your men,” said Rashidilhadi.
“We need to be there all the time, to get the message to them that our waters are always guarded at all the time, regardless of the weather. Our hard work paid off. The increased presence of the authority in these waters intimidated the criminals, and this has resulted in much lesser (criminal) activities here.”
According to him, his team together with the three other ships patrolled the waters between Kudat and Pulau Tigabu near the Sabah-Philippines border, about five hours boat-ride from the tip ofSabah.
They do this sector by sector, keeping an eye for possible smuggling vessels, both going in and out.
“Apart from fags and drugs there are also possibilities that they are trying to bring in firearms. Those going out usually loaded with controlled daily essentials like subsidized cooking oil, flour and so on.
“In addition to smuggling boats, we also inspect the nationality of suspicious fishing vessels, to ensure foreign ships do not encroach into our waters. We also guard against pirate activities, although as far as I know there has been no actual incident here in Kudat. But we did receive some reports from the public in the past. So, we are on the alert for that too,” he said.
The operation was concluded yesterday after a number of ships were inspected, with six detained and brought back to shore for various offences, including those under the Fishery and Immigration Acts.
“This is hard and risky work, you have to have it on you if want to do this. But somebody got to do it, and we do it with pride,” added Rashidilhadi.