Reduce smuggling activities, advises James Masing

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Tan Sri Dr James Masing

KUCHING: The relevant authorities must try to minimise smuggling activities if they cannot be eradicated completely.

Senior Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing said smuggling activities should be curbed to prevent the country “bleeding to death”.

“As reported by a national English newspaper, the relevant authorities should not just close their eyes and ears. They should carry out concrete action to stop the menace,” Masing said when contacted yesterday.

Masing, who is also Minister of Land Development, urged the relevant authorities to come up with concrete plans to curb smuggling activities along the porous Sarawak-Kalimantan border.

State director of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Wan Ahmad Uzir Wan Sulaiman admitted that there were ‘leakages’ of controlled items across the border.

Among the most sought-after goods smuggled out of the country were liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), sugar and petrol.

“We cannot deny that these goods have been smuggled out. How they are smuggled out is not our concern.

“But suffice for me to say, the stock of essential goods is still sufficient and so far no one has made any report about the shortage of these items,” he said.

Recently, this paper also reported that smuggling activities were quite rampant in Lubok Antu due to its proximity to Badau on the Kalimantan side of the border.

The illegal activities were so bad that local people described them as like “nobody’s business” and happening “right under the nose of the authorities”.

“The items smuggled out include petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG),” a local said.

He further claimed that the illegal activities were done very openly and in broad daylight without much difficulty.

His claims were not mere allegations because when The Borneo Post had the opportunity to follow the military personnel based at the joint border post in Lubok Antu, it was noticed that several LPG cylinders and drums believed to be containing petrol were seen on the other side of the border, ready to be loaded onto Indonesian trucks.

According to the reports, Tebedu was among major entry points of smuggling activities in the country.

At press time, none of the enforcement agencies could be reached for comments.