No compromise on crime, Armed Forces chief warns

KUALA LUMPUR: The Armed Forces will not compromise on its personnel involved in any form of criminal activity.

Its chief General Tan Sri Affendi Buang said that such a firmness was necessary so as to safeguard the sanctity of the Armed Forces, as a security agency responsible for preserving the sovereignty and well-being of the country.

“We leave the matter entirely to the authorities to take further action, so that those implicated directly or otherwise with the human trafficking syndicate are dealt with severely.

“Their arrests also prove the effectiveness of Operasi Benteng under the auspices of the National Task Force (NTF),” he said on the arrest of two Armed Forces officers and three other ranks by Johor police on June 4.

They were part of a 40-member crime syndicate busted for alleged involvement in the human trafficking of migrants and drug smuggling in the east coast of Johor over the past three years.

Affendi said that Operasi Benteng proved how successful the enforcement and security agencies’ integrated efforts were.

“It not only strengthens the surveillance operations of the nation’s borders, but empowers transparency and integrity among the officers and men in discharging their entrusted duties,” he said.

It was reported that just for between RM500 and RM1,000 a month, a group of 18 enforcement officers and personnel were allegedly willing to sell information to the syndicate.

All those detained were aged between 24 and 41 years old.

Apart from the five Armed Forces personnel, the rest comprised a police assistant superintendent and 12 low-ranking personnel – nine from the Kota Tinggi district police headquarters, two from the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters and one from the Region Two Marine headquarters.

Source: NST