KUCHING: Sarawak Community Policing Association (SCPA) suggested that the state government identify rat trails or ratlines along the state’s border with Kalimantan to control cross-border movements of people.
Its chairman Datuk John Lau Pang Heng said the initiative would prevent people from travelling between Sarawak and Kalimantan in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“SCPA views cross-border travel through rat trails as quite alarming. We recommend that the government identify these places so that law enforcement personnel can be stationed there.
“People should avoid travelling for tourism, recreation and work purposes. But controlled cross-border transportation of essential goods could go on,” he told New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
Lau recommended the following measures to prevent or control cross-border travel for the time being.
1. Screening travellers from neighbouring countries; filling of a Public Health Passenger Locator Form on board aircraft, ferry, train or bus arriving on a direct or indirect connection from affected areas or countries; completion of Declaration of Health for all arriving ships, indicating all ports visited. Anyone who is unhealthy shall be sent back to their home country immediately.
2. Provide information materials (leaflets, banners, posters, electronic slides) for distribution to travellers arriving from or departing to affected areas.
3. Put in place exit screening measures, which aim at assessing the presence of symptoms and/or the exposure to Covid-19 of travellers departing from Sarawak. Travellers exposed to or infected with Covid-19 should not be allowed to travel.
4. Isolate suspected cases and transfer actual cases to a health care facility. The authorities on both sides of the border should agree on the appropriate handling of cases considered health risks.
5. Levy, visa, bond and working permit fees should be increased to an acceptable maximum amount to discourage employers to hire foreign workers and give priority to local workers thus reducing the unemployment rate.
6. Heavier punishment and penalty for illegal immigrants.
7. Inculcate the importance of integrity in all enforcement agencies to prevent corruption and shut loopholes in the implementation to combat the issue.
Lau added that any rejection of entry had to be proportionate and non-discriminatory.
“A measure is considered proportionate on condition that it has been taken following consultation with the health authorities and that it has been considered by them as suitable and necessary to attain the public health objective,” said Lau.
