KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has consented to the conferment of the Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB) medal and the rank of Sergeant on the two General Operations Force (GOF) members, Baharuddin Ramli and Norihan Tari, involved in a fatal shooting at the Malaysia-Thailand border last Tuesday.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin said the conferment of the medal and the rank was in appreciation of their deeds and sacrifices in discharging their duties.
“On behalf of the government, I would like to extend my gratitude to His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the royal consent to the conferment of the medal of Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB) to the two GOF members,” he said during the Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Hamzah said Baharuddin who was killed in the shootout would be conferred the medal and rank posthumously.
He said the government had always recognised the deeds and sacrifices of security forces personnel who discharged their duties bravely, sincerely and trustworthily in ensuring security, peace and wellbeing of the country.
The minister said Malaysian authorities had arrested 19 suspects comprising 15 locals and four Thais in Perlis to facilitate investigations into the incident, while the Thai authorities had also nabbed four suspects in the Kingdom, including three who tried to seek treatment for gunshot wounds at a local hospital.
“I would like to stress that the government will not compromise with any quarters and will definitely take stern action against those involved,” he said.
Hamzah said the ministry was formulating a holistic strategic plan to enhance security controls and capabilities of security forces working at the border, which would involve the acquisition of modern and state-of-the-art assets and facilities such as drones, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC), Night Vision Goggles (NVG) and GPS Tracker. – Bernama
