Meeting next week to discuss proposal to build 100km border security route in Sarawak

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Sarawak Premier Office Administration Unit (Fleet Section) head of director assistants Mohamad Nizam Wang (front, second left) symbolically presents the 4WDs to Hasani at GOF Sarawak headquarters.

KUCHING (April 19): The proposed 100km border security route spanning from Telok Melano to Biawak in Lundu is meant to facilitate patrolling over Sarawak’s land border with Indonesia, says Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Seri Hazani Ghazali.

Hazani said the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) had voiced out his agreement for the route project and a meeting would be held at the Ministry of Home Affairs next week to discuss the proposal in greater details.

“We will work closely with the state government to better understand the locality before building the patrolling route,” said Hazani when met by reporters after a simple handing-over ceremony of two four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicles from Sarawak state government to the General Operations Force (GOF) Sarawak at Batu Kawa here yesterday.

He also mentioned that another proposal – the setting-up of a security post near Kampung Mongkos in Serian – would also be discussed during the meeting.

On the plan to establish a new GOF battalion in Sarawak, Hazani said it was to reinforce the security along the Sarawak-Indonesia border in preparation for the relocation of the republic’s new capital to West Kalimantan.

He believed that the setting-up of Nusantara as Indonesia’s new capital would bring about economic spill-over effects for the neighbouring countries in the region, particularly those sharing land borders with West Kalimantan.

“The new GOF battalion would support efforts to combat cross-border crimes like smuggling,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hasani thanked the state government for contributing two 4WDs worth RM279,400 to GOF Sarawak, which would use the vehicles in border-control operations.

It is informed that in the middle of last year, the state government had contributed to GOF Sarawak RM726,200 worth of logistics aid, equipment and assistance including eight units of all-terrain vehicles, 16 units of Honda Wave Alpha motorcycles, 10 units of scrambler motorcycles, six units of camera drones, 19 units of electricity generation sets, eight units of mobile irrigation trailers, seven units of 20-foot x 20-foot tent, 13 units of 10-foot x 10-foot tent, 20 units of foldable tables, 85 units of plastic chairs, five ‘CONNECTme’ sets, as well as rental payment for two houses on-going until December this year.

Earlier, Hasani witnessed the handing-over of duties from acting GOF Sarawak commander ACP Shaikh Abdul Adzis Shaikh Abdullah to the new commander, SAC Dr Che Ghazali Che Awang.