Better sea security with upgraded radar
The upgraded radar system will be able to detect the movements of small vessels within a wider radius.
JOHOR BAHRU: The security forces guarding the country’s waters will be operating more efficiently following the upgrade of the Malaysian Maritime Sea Surveillance System (Swasla), which is expected to be completed this year.
Marine Police Force (PPM) commander Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the government has approved an allocation of more than RM100 million to upgrade the radar system.
He said the system, jointly used by PPM, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Royal Malaysian Navy, would be able to detect the movements of small vessels within a wider radius after the upgrade.
The existing radar system is not able to do so since it is specifically used for tracking merchant ships.
“With this upgraded radar system, enforcement agencies, for example, can monitor the influx of migrants, especially Rohingya, as well as prevent the smuggling of migrants, cigarettes, liquor and other illicit goods in the waters of Langkawi,” he told reporters here today.
“Meanwhile, in the waters of the east coast, this radar is needed to detect the movement of foreign fishing boats encroaching into the country’s waters to catch sea resources,” he said.
The radar system has been installed in several locations, including in Langkawi (Kedah), Lumut (Perak) and Tanjung Pengelih (Johor).
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