KUCHING: Smuggling of diesel and petrol to neighbouring countries is normally the work of local people, observed Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said this came about because foreigners were not allowed to purchase RON95 petrol from petrol stations near the borders.
“This situation causes some of our citizens to commit such activity (smuggling).
“The more subsidised goods are smuggled out, the more we will lose,” he told reporters after conducting a walkabout at Kenyalang Park Market here yesterday.
He thus advised the people to be aware of the consequences and not to be involved in the illegal activity.
On measures to prevent smuggling, he said monitoring would need to be intensified in all the border entry points with the cooperation from all the enforcement agencies such as the police and customs, citing the long and porous border as the main problem.
“It is impossible that the government is able to deploy enforcement personnel to every corner near the border so sometimes the routes have no restriction from the enforcement,” he added.
Besides that, he said, people from both sides of the border were used to freely cross over due to the proximity of their villages to each other.
“I have been to a village in Serian, they (foreigners) only use motorcycles from Indonesia to enter our area.
“They came to buy petrol and it has been happening since a long time.
“What they are doing is not for business but more on culture which has been inherited,” he explained.