PORT KLANG, Feb 10 — Existing laws, including the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) Act 2024, are deemed sufficient to address the issue of electronic waste (e-waste) smuggling at the country’s entry points.
Attorney General (AG) Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said that the main focus at this time is on the methods of implementation, enforcement, and operational coordination among the involved agencies.
“There are several legal aspects that we also discussed earlier (for enforcement). In addition to enforcing the AKPS Act 2024, the Customs Act 1967, and the Criminal Procedure Code (also enforced) to identify and carry out effective operations.
“Additionally, we can utilise many existing legal resources. The important thing is that we need to first identify what the issue is, and then we practice procedures that align with operational aspects,” he said.
Mohd Dusuki said this when met at Westport here during his working visit to the port yesterday. Also present was AKPS director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain.
Meanwhile, he said the process of detecting and unpacking containers suspected of containing e-waste is a complicated and time-consuming task, in addition to requiring a sufficient number of personnel and the use of more efficient equipment and support systems.
“Following that, what the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) suggested is one aspect that we need to examine.
“And I think the cooperation of all parties should be refined. That is important to address smuggling issues at the border, especially the issue of e-waste,” he said.
Commenting on the modus operandi of the waste smuggling syndicates, he said that among the identified methods were the use of false declarations, as well as hiding prohibited materials behind goods declared as legitimate to confuse the inspection process.
According to Mohd Dasuki, any further details regarding the issue of managing e-waste will be brought to the multi-agency committee meeting that he will chair in the near future.
Meanwhile, he said that the visit to Port Klang today was to gain direct exposure to field operations in order to enable any decisions and recommendations to be made based on a comprehensive understanding of the real challenges faced by enforcement agencies.
Previously, the Prime Minister directed the AKPS along with related agencies to intensify operations against the illegal importation of e-waste into the country.
Mohd Shuhaily said the Prime Minister wants AKPS to cooperate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Royal Malaysia Police as well as related agencies to combat the activities. — Bernama
