He cautioned that stronger border readiness, consistent operational discipline and wider use of technology are needed.
SEPANG: KLIA’s main entry points must remain on high alert after visitor arrivals through Terminals 1 and 2 reached 4.6 million in the first three months of this year, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said the increase, driven partly by preparations for Visit Malaysia Year, would benefit the tourism sector.
However, he cautioned that stronger border readiness, consistent operational discipline and wider use of technology are needed.
“From the Home Ministry’s perspective, this high entry trend means the country’s main entry points must be at a high level of preparedness.
“Organisational discipline must be consistent. It cannot be disrupted.
“We also want to move towards fully utilising technology to ensure smooth movement, while national security remains the top priority,” he told reporters after visiting KLIA Terminal 1 today.
Saifuddin said he chose to inspect KLIA operations directly after spending the past two to three weeks reviewing border control operations across land, sea and air entry points, including in Kedah, Perlis, Perak, Langkawi and Sabah’s east coast islands.
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He said airport border security continues to face several challenges, including travellers attempting to evade inspection, failing to comply with entry conditions or being involved in misconduct within terminal areas.
He said such risks make technology-driven monitoring increasingly important, with KLIA alone having nearly 5,000 closed-circuit television cameras.
“Closed-circuit television (CCTV) system monitoring has become one of the most important tools in helping enforce all measures to address security issues.
“I saw how every corner of the terminal is monitored.
“That is very helpful, especially for the Home Ministry through the Malaysia Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA), as well as the Immigration Department, in detecting potential threats or breaches of the law,” he said.
Saifuddin also inspected baggage screening operations and said MCBA is responsible for ensuring the smooth movement of passengers and goods without allowing prohibited items such as drugs or weapons to slip through.
He said the process is based on screening and sorting, allowing authorities to detect risks while keeping passenger and baggage movement efficient.
He added that separate “Nothing to Declare” and “Goods to Declare” lanes have been introduced to speed up passenger flow without compromising legal compliance.
Saifuddin said MCBA is also moving towards risk profiling and intelligence-led enforcement, where checks would focus on high-risk passengers instead of slowing down all travellers.
“This means that in MCBA’s second phase, priority will be given to strengthening assets involving the use of technology.
“We want the movement of people and goods to be smooth, but it cannot override or compromise security,” he said.
Saifuddin was accompanied by Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Awang Alik Jeman, AKPS director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain and Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban.
