KAJANG, Nov 26 — The government is looking at acquiring new assets for the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) to strengthen control of the Malaysia-Thai border, said Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Jonathan Yasin.

He said the government would not compromise with criminals who encroached into the national border especially when it involved death and injury to security personnel on duty.

‘’Indeed, PDRM is always submitting applications and reports to boost its capability in conducting operations. The new procurements will depend on the funds that the government can afford from time to time,’’ he said.

He said this at a media conference after launching the 2020 National Drug Addiction Science Symposium, here, today. Also present was the National Anti-Drugs Agency director-general Datuk Seri Zulkilfi Abdullah.

Jonathan also expressed his condolences to the General Operations Force’s (PGA) personnel and families who were involved in two shooting incidents on the Malaysia-Thai border.  

The incidents yesterday evening and early Saturday morning, resulted in a death and two injury cases.

Earlier, the media reported that a PGA member was slightly injured after being shot at while patrolling with another member at the Malaysia-Thailand border near Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah in an incident at about 6.15 pm yesterday.

Earlier, early Tuesday morning, PGA personnel Sergeant Baharuddin Ramli, 54, was killed, while Sergeant Norihan a/l Tari, 39, was seriously injured in a shootout with smugglers at Post TS9 near Padang Besar, Perlis.

Following the incident, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador was reported to have said that more armoured vehicles and personnel were moved to the Malaysia-Thai border today.

He said the members were from the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (JSJN).

In another development, Jonathan said the number of drug addiction cases this year is expected to decrease, due to the difficulty of addicts and traffickers following the implementation of the movement control order (PKP) to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said there were 142,199 drug addiction cases last year and 95,505 cases as of June this year.

He said individuals, aged 19 to 39, continued to be the most involved in drug addiction since 2018 until this year and AADK had identified 155 new 'hotspots' nationwide to overcome the problem of drug addiction.

Today's symposium featured two speakers, Prof Dr Noor Azniza Ishak from Universiti Utara Malaysia and associate Prof Dr Wan Shahrazad Wan Sulaiman from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. — Bernama