SHAH ALAM, May 5 — The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) is reviewing a proposal to establish a permanent Environment Department (DOE) branch at Port Klang to combat increasing transboundary environmental crimes.
Utusan Malaysia reported its minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup as saying that presently, the DOE operates with a limited workforce of only 1,041 enforcement officers nationwide, a figure significantly lower than other border agencies.
In comparison, the Royal Malaysia Police and the Royal Malaysia Customs Department have approximately 134,000 and 15,000 members, respectively.
“New geopolitical threats involving cross-border environmental crimes are becoming more aggressive.
“The smuggling of scheduled waste, particularly e-waste from the United States and other nations, requires the DOE to work beyond regular capacities,” he said during the ministry’s monthly assembly today.
Arthur added that the proposed Port Klang branch should be viewed through a strategic lens, as it represents a direct investment in national border security and public health rather than merely an increase in civil service headcount.
“Through ‘Ops Bongkar’ previously, the DOE successfully detained 103 foreign containers filled with illegally smuggled e-waste.
“This is one of the successes of the integrated operations carried out by the ministry, and it will be further strengthened through continuous operations,” he said.
Regarding forest enforcement, the NRES has empowered local communities by appointing 2,500 community rangers across Peninsular Malaysia, supported by a RM80.8 million government allocation.
The minister also noted the efficacy of the Integrated Khazanah Operations, which has successfully prevented thousands of encroachment incidents, resulting in confiscations exceeding RM413 million since 2019.
