By C. Khor
PUTRAJAYA, Aug 9: The Home and Transport ministries have been instructed to develop a plan to enhance security screening at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the plan would cover operations, equipment, manpower and coordination following a Cabinet discussion on the matter on Wednesday.
He said the ministries were tasked with submitting a comprehensive improvement plan in the near term to address security gaps identified following the incident. On Friday, Saifuddin said in a separate statement in Sandakan that the Cabinet had given both ministries two weeks to submit the plan.
“I will hold a special meeting at the Home Ministry tomorrow morning as part of implementing the Prime Minister’s directive,” he told reporters after the flag-off ceremony for the Star City FC convoy over the weekend.
Saifuddin said that baggage screening at KLIA was carried out by Aviation Security (AVSEC) and MAHB auxiliary police, based on international airport screening standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
He said he had been briefed by Malaysia Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain and that the existing scanning machines could detect prohibited items.
However, he said the scope of screening needed to be examined, especially when it came to contraband, noting that the focus had traditionally been on weapons such as firearms, sharp weapons and explosives.
“So, the element of contraband, although it can be detected, is one of the areas for improvement that we need to focus on, in line with the expertise of the officers conducting the screening,” he said.
Saifuddin said the review would also examine the manpower aspect, including the personnel operating the scanners, and that the government remained open to adopting newer and more capable screening technology.
“This involves the country’s entry point, the country’s image, security and so on,” he said.
The review follows the arrest of a 39-year-old Malaysia Airlines pilot in Jakarta on July 28. Indonesian authorities found 70,114 ecstasy tablets weighing about 25kg, along with 4g of methamphetamine, in his luggage.
He later tested positive for methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine.
On August 4, Malaysian police identified an airport employee in his 30s as a person of interest in the investigation.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the employee was assigned to the screening area through which the pilot passed.
Hussein said the pilot’s baggage was not flagged as high risk and did not undergo secondary inspection after passing the initial screening at the dedicated staff lane.
He said initial investigations found the pilot had obtained the drugs in Ampang two days before his arrest, checked in the baggage at KLIA, flew to Kota Kinabalu and returned the same day to depart for Jakarta.
WE