500 Rela members to assist in maintaining border security: Saifuddin

PUTRAJAYA – About 500 Malaysian Volunteer Department (Rela) members will be deployed to assist the General Operations Force in maintaining the security of the country’s five border areas starting next year, said Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

He said the five border areas involved entry points in Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Kelantan and Perlis. The deployment project, of which the pilot stage involving 90 members have begun in November 2020, will be expanded to 500 members starting next year, he told reporters after an official visit to the Rela headquarters here today.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin said a total of 188,303 Rela officers and members have been deployed since October 15 for duties at flood relief centres to carry out patrols in flood-affected areas in four states.

“For this month (December) alone, a total of 3,173 Rela members have been assigned to patrol and supervise the flood relief centres, and conduct monitoring following the northeast monsoon phenomenon,” he said. – Bernama, December 15, 2022