The Indonesian Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DGCE) and
the Royal Malaysian Customs Department will organise the 19th
Indonesia-Malaysia joint Customs Patrol (Patkor Kasstima).
At a
press conference on September 2, DGCE Director General Agung Kuswandono
said the joint patrol will be carried out in two phases.
The first phase is to take place in Batam, Indonesia, from
September 2-15, while the second phase will be conducted in Johor,
Malaysia, from October 22 to November 4.
The joint patrol aims
at improving law enforcement and customs acts of the two countries,
while strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation between the two
custom offices in sea patrol implementation, in both coordinated patrol
and routine sea patrols, said Agung Kuswandono.
Malaysian
Customs top leader Datok Sri Khazali bin Haji Ahmad said as Indonesia
and Malaysian share a long water border, it is crucial for customs
agancies of both countries to strengthen information sharing and
security to prevent drug trafficking.
Malaysian Customs is to
deploy 70 personnel and seven ships for the joint exercise, while
Indonesia will send about 100 personnel and nine ships.
After the joint exercise, the two countries will also conduct a bilateral meeting in Lombok, Indonesia this year.-VNA