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Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin
wants all maritime units in various department
and agencies to be absorbed into the Malaysian
Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM).
Muhyiddin said the Government had already handed
over part of the assets belonging to various
maritime enforcement units to the agency.
“We will be having a meeting to facilitate the
transfer the necessary assets and personnels to
the agency,” said Muhyiddin, adding that the
discussions would also include the avoiding of
overlapping of duties between the agency and
other agencies such as the marine police and
fisheries department.
Muhyiddin told a press conference abroad the
agency’s KM Langkawi yesterday that the agency
would be the main maritime enforcement body in
the country. He had earlier witnessed various
demonstrations conducted by the agency’s
personnel at the Pulau Pintu Gedung waters near
here.
The consolidation of the maritime enforcement
agencies was to ensure efficiency.
To a question if there were plans to purchase
new assets to further strengthen the agency,
Muhyiddin said it was already being done.
“We are doing it in stages and currently have a
high cost plan,” he said, adding that RM600mil
had been spent on the agency last year.
The agency was established by the Government in
2005 to function like the United States’ coast
guard and it was tasked with enforcing the
country’s maritime law. About 1,000 personnel
had participated in six different exercise
demonstrations including a showcase of the
Amfibi Bombardier CL415 aircraft. It was
purchased from Canada in 2008 to carry out air
surveillance of the country’s shores.
On another matter, Muhyiddin said the abduction
of a company manager and his supervisor by armed
men in Pulau Sebangkat near Semporna on Monday,
was a case of robbery and the police were still
investigating.
Source: The STAR
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