ATTEMPTS TO SMUGGLE SUGAR OUT OF SARAWAK

KUCHING (Malaysia), Aug 13 (Bernama) -- The government will tighten patrols
and monitoring at the East Malaysia state of Sarawak border, especially the land
routes, to curb the smuggling of sugar from the state.

This followed the detection by the Sarawak branch of the Domestice Trade,
Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry of attempts to smuggle the commodity to
Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Its director, Ahmad Nasir Khosri, said that last week the ministry's
enforcement officers and the police stopped a lorry carrying about 10 tonnes of
sugar believed to be on its way to the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.

Speaking to reporters after launching the price tag campaign 2009 at the
Stutong market in this Sarawak state's capital Thursday, he said that although
some premises had had their sugar supply cut off, they were just isolated cases.


Meanwhile, in east coast city of KOTA BAHARU, the director of the northeast
state of Kelantan branch, Che Halim Abdul Rahman, said 237 tonnes of sugar would
arrive in stages in the state starting Thursday to allay the people's concern
about the sugar shortage.

The sugar would be sent direct to the 23 supermarkets and the retailers
under the supervision of the district-level price monitoring officers.

He said the sugar shortage in the state was not a serious problem and was
caused by hoarding by the people.

He also said that since the sugar shortage started early this month the
authorities had seized 9,792kg of sugar involved in smuggling attempts.
-- BERNAMA