KUALA LUMPUR: The government plans to acquire artificial intelligence (AI)-powered radar and long-range cameras for the Kudat maritime border in Sabah in 2028 to strengthen surveillance and security.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said the acquisition was planned under the Third Rolling Plan of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) as part of efforts to enhance surveillance capabilities in the area.
He said enforcement operations were also being carried out continuously to curb the entry of undocumented migrants through illegal routes.
"Based on current security assessments by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), the waters off Kudat, Pulau Banggi and Pulau Balambangan, facing Balabac Island in the Philippines, have been identified as areas requiring continuous surveillance and enforcement.
"This is due to their geographical location, the extent of the waters and the presence of sea routes that could be used for illegal entry and cross-border criminal activities," he said during a Special Chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Shamsul Anuar was responding to a motion by Riduan Rubin (Independent-Tenom) on the urgent need to strengthen security along the Sabah-Philippines maritime border, particularly in the waters off Balabac, Palawan, and curb the entry of foreign nationals through illegal routes.
He said ESSCOM statistics showed that arrests of undocumented migrants in Kudat rose 79.4 per cent to 122 people in 2025, from 68 in 2024.
Meanwhile, marine police Region 4 recorded six cases involving 23 arrests in 2025, compared with four cases the previous year, while the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) recorded 30 cases involving 91 foreign nationals arrested from 2025 to September 2026.
"These statistics reflect ongoing enforcement efforts but should not be interpreted directly as the total number of attempted incursions or the actual threat trend, as the reporting scope of each agency differs," he said.
Shamsul Anuar said anti-smuggling efforts had also been strengthened through diplomatic channels and bilateral cooperation, including the ninth Malaysia-Philippines Joint Commission meeting in Manila last August and the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement (TCA) involving Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
"This cooperation is important to ensure that efforts are not limited to detaining individuals at the border but also target the syndicate networks organising these activities," he said.
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