KUCHING, Oct 23 — The Sarawak Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) takes the smuggling of subsidised controlled goods in the Serikin area here seriously, says its secretary-general Datuk Azman Mohd Yusof.
He said the activities were detected following the reopening of the Serikin Border Control Post, which in turn boosted trade activities between Malaysia and Indonesia.
He said among the subsidised controlled goods smuggled into neighbouring countries through the Serikin border are liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), cooking oil, petrol, diesel, sugar and wheat flour.
“KPDNHEP takes seriously the issue of leakage of subsidised controlled goods because it can result in huge losses for the country.
“Those goods should be enjoyed by Malaysians but they are embezzled by irresponsible parties to neighbouring countries in order to make huge profits,” he said in a statement after conducting a working visit to the Malaysia-Indonesia border in Serikin here, today.
Azman said based on the ministry’s enforcement statistics, a total of 427 cases involving the smuggling of subsidised controlled goods valued at RM69.74 million were foiled from January to September this year.
“The Ministry will continue to cooperate with enforcement agencies by conducting integrated operations as well as due diligence by conducting audits on all distribution chains of controlled goods,” he said. — Bernama
