As the country is soon moving into the third phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO), the police force in Penang is stepping up the enforcement, in order to make sure that the Penangnites continue to comply with the MCO order fully.
After the incident of Rohingya refugees at Teluk Nibung, Langkawi, the Penang state police chief, Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan said that stricter measures are to be taken both on land and at sea.
According to Datuk Sahabudin, there were 21 police road blocks during the first phase, 34 during the second phase and it has now 40 road blocks in total. The number is said to be further increased during the third phase of MCO.
"Under the third phase, we will see more relaxation with companies being allowed to operate in increasing numbers. So, we expect more people to be out. As long as they have passes or company letters to show, we have no issues.
"But we will tighten checks, especially between 9 am and 4 pm, (to apprehend those) who do not have reasons to be on the road. At the beginning of the MCO, about 50 percent of vehicles were asked to turn back, as they had no valid reason to be on the road. Now, the number is less than a handful," he said to the reporters on April 13. He added that he was at a police road block recently, and only two vehicles were asked to turn back between 4 pm and 11 pm.
"This is a significant improvement," he added.
On April 13, the Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah flyover heading from George Town to Bayan Lepas was sealed off, starting from the Sungai Nibong Pesta site. All vehicles will be diverted to the roads beneath the flyover.
The Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah flyover heading from Bayan Lepas to George Town will remain open as usual, in order to limit the movement of people in the area.
In terms of enforcement at sea, Sahabudin said that the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the marine police are patrolling borders 24/7 to make sure there are no encroachments.
News source from the New Straits Times.
