Only 15 policemen, 12 soldiers stationed at Tebedu border post, Deputy Foreign Minister calls for reinforcement
SERIAN: The undermanned border post at Tebedu has raised the concern of Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Richard Riot Jaem who said there is an urgent need to beef up the security personnel stationed there.
He said although the Tebedu police station was one of the most sophisticated in the country, it had only 15 policemen which was well below the recommended strength of at least 26 personnel by Bukit Aman.
“Currently our security forces along the border are seriously under strength and I am very worried about this situation.
“The officer-in-charge (OC) is only a corporal whereas the task should be handled by at least a sub-inspector. As such I urge the relevant authorities to improve the current security situation at our border,” Riot told The Borneo Post at his office here yesterday.
He also pointed out that the police personnel in Tebedu only had an old Suzuki jeep which often ended up in the garage for repair.
This, he said, should be urgently improved as the problem had impeded their ability to patrol the border and monitor security situations in nearby villages.
He added that even the army unit stationed near the border was also below strength with just 12 men.
Riot, who is also MP for Serian, said he was concerned about the current security situation along the Sarawak/Malaysia border with Kalimantan as the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder Nur Misuari had recently staked a claim over Sarawak.
“The security along our border with Kalimantan is always in my heart. That’s why we all need to cooperate with relevant authorities on how to ensure our country is always safe from outside infiltration.
“We do not want to have a similar incident as the one in Lahad Datu to happen here,” he warned, adding that the remnants of the terrorists who have landed in Kpg Tunduo, Lahad Datu on Feb 9 could use other routes and means to infiltrate Sarawak.
He revealed that he would write to both Minister of Defence Datuk Seri Dr Zahid Hamidi and Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein on how best to address and improve the situation and to deal with the lax security along the Sarawak/Kalimantan border especially at Tebedu.