MELAKA, July 3 — The repair of six faulty Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) scanners at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) will begin today, said Deputy Finance Minister I Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.

He said the repair would cost more than RM1 million and that the ministry had so far not faced any obstacles in approving repairs submitted by any government agencies or departments.

"The allocation (for machine repair) that we give to ministries to repair their machines and other equipment is included in the budget. It’s just that sometimes there are unforeseen things that need a longer process (for approval),” he told reporters after chairing the Royal Malaysian Customs Academy (AKMAL) Integrity Course with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and the Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB) in Bukit Baru today.

Meanwhile, JKDM director-general Datuk Zazuli Johan said the department does not solely rely on the scanners as there are several other ways to ensure security at the country’s key entry points.

He said among the other methods is the on-the-spot observation by immigration officers.

"Last month, for example, we even detected drugs. That means we can still do our job without the scanners,” he said.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was reported as saying only one of the seven luggage scanners operated by the Customs Department at KLIA was in operation and wanted the situation rectified immediately. — Bernama