THE Government is targeting the wider networks behind cross-border smuggling, including syndicate leaders, financiers and recruiters, as the government strengthens border enforcement with artificial intelligence (AI) surveillance and coordinated operations.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said enforcement efforts were being intensified along the Malaysia-Thailand border, particularly around Padang Besar and Bukit Kayu Hitam, to stop illegal crossings and disrupt smuggling routes.
He said joint intelligence and field operations involving the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), Immigration Department, Royal Malaysian Customs Department and Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) were being strengthened.
“Targeted operations include Op Tuari, Op Benteng, Op Tiris and Op Taring to maximise enforcement impact at the border, while curbing the smuggling of goods, entry by undocumented migrants and cross-border crime,” he said.
Shamsul Anuar said police action against the use of unofficial routes went beyond arresting undocumented migrants and seizing prohibited goods, extending to efforts to dismantle the syndicates’ wider networks.
These include boatmen or border guides, financiers, recruiters and associated networks, with enforcement pursued under relevant laws, including the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
To strengthen detection and coordination, the Home Ministry is developing the National Border Control System (SKSN), an AI-powered platform using data analytics to support faster information-sharing and more targeted enforcement.
“National security cannot rely solely on the strength of personnel and manual inspections. We need a system capable of detecting threats in real time, analysing suspicious movements and linking information across agencies,” he said.
The system was designed based on a feasibility study by the Public Safety Institute and is expected to integrate intelligence and surveillance capabilities, supported by a joint operations control centre to coordinate enforcement agencies.
The ministry’s wider surveillance measures include closed-circuit television cameras, drones, sensors and monitoring infrastructure at high-risk locations along the Malaysia-Thailand border.
In Perlis, the CCTV system at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) complex comprises 40 cameras and 264 lights covering 27 surveillance zones along a 53km stretch. - October 12, 2026
