By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Apr 11: What Sarawak worries now is the local people’s compliance to the Movement Control Order (MCO) rather than the external movement of those who could spread the deadly Covid-19 through the porous 900km border with Kalimantan.
Chairman of the Border Security Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said that while the security forces are locking down its border, the internal compliance to the MCO needs to be improved.
“So we are putting more efforts on the internal affairs so that the people obey MCO rather than along the border at this point of time.
“Of course, in the next two to three weeks’ time, when the case of Covid-19 is expected to peak in Indonesia, then we have to further strengthen our security along the border,” Masing told DayakDaily today.
Since the beginning of this month, some 876 security personnel have been deployed along the border including three customs, immigration and quarantine complexes (CIQs), 20 logging roads, 23 jungle treks, plus numerous entry points including three in Kapit Division at Long Singut, Long Busang and Tapak Megah.
Masing, who is also Deputy Chief Minster and Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development, reiterated that the government will increase the security forces along the border once there are signs of the Covid-19 increase in the neighbouring country.
“We will monitor the situation in the neighbouring country. But at this point of time we can’t simply put our personnel there otherwise it will be a waste of resources. We will increase the number of personnel when the needs arise,” he stressed.
He was commenting on Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s comment yesterday that the country will further strengthen its borders due to the increasing cases of Covid-19 in the neighbouring countries, notably Thailand and Indonesia.—DayakDaily
