Home Affairs Ministry still reviewing proposal to upgrade Sungai Tujoh ICQS, MP told

MIRI (July 16): The Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) is still reviewing the proposal to upgrade the Sungai Tujoh Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Control Post.

Miri MP Chiew Choon Man said he was told this after he raised the issue regarding the need to upgrade the Sungai Tujoh ICQS in a recent parliamentary sitting, to resolve the congestion problem at the border crossing from Brunei to Malaysia.

“I was informed that KDN is still in the process of reviewing it. I will continue to urge KDN to expedite the necessary processes so that the upgrading project can be approved by the government,” he said in a statement to reporters on Monday (July 15).

He mentioned that KDN had informed him that to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of border control and entry processes, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had announced in the 2024 Budget the establishment of a single national border agency.

The agency known as Malaysia Control and Border Protection Agency (MCBA), Chiew explained, will coordinate and implement all existing federal-level agency functions across the country’s borders.

“MCBA will be responsible as the frontline government agency providing integrated and comprehensive control and inspection services at land, sea and air entry points, including ports, for the movement of people, vehicles, goods, animals and plants.

“In addition to enhancing effectiveness and efficiency through centralizing the functions of existing border agencies, MCBA will also be equipped with the latest technology such as biometric fingerprinting and facial recognition.

“All data from various existing border agencies will also be standardised to expedite the inspection process at border controls,” he added.

The implementation of MCBA operations, he further explained, will involve three phases; first phase will be a pilot project that will be carried out at five border areas after the MCBA Bill is passed in Parliament.

“The second phase will expand to 20 more border areas, which will also be implemented in March 2025, and the third phase will cover all national borders and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

“While the MCBS is fully implemented at our national borders, including the Sungai Tujoh ICQS, I shall continue to request the government to upgrade the existing building structure,” he added.

Chiew also hopes that with the existing structural changes and the addition of a more efficient and effective inspection system through MCBA, the congestion problem at the Sungai Tujoh ICQS can be reduced in the future.