Latest news with #Mitsatom
The Star
4 days ago
- General
- The Star
Senior cops among five injured in police copter crash
JOHOR BARU: Two senior police officers are among five people injured when a police helicopter crashed into Sungai Pulai during a mock nuclear training exercise here. The officers with the rank of Assistant Commissioner and Superintendent, along with three other personnel, were sent to Hospital Sultanah Aminah shortly after the 10.25am incident yesterday. A security official said the Eurocopter AS3555 Ecureuil known as 'Squirrel' crashed about 21m from the jetty while performing a mock exercise, which was attended by personnel from Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. The five were rescued within minutes of the crash as there were many naval boats stationed in the area for the exercise. 'It can be considered a miracle that they were rescued promptly before the wreckage submerged,' the official said, adding that a detailed investigation was being carried out to determine the cause of the crash. The victims comprise three men and two women. Following the crash, the exercise was put on hold and the area was cordoned off. Accidental plunge: debris from the copter crash seen at Sungai Pulaiin Gelang Patah, Johor. — Bernama The helicopter was part of the Malaysia-Indonesia-Thailand-Singapore Nuclear Security Detection Exercise (Mitsatom) held in Johor. The training exercise is to simulate a coordinated response to the cross-border smuggling of radioactive and nuclear materials. The exercise marks the fourth Mitsatom exercise hosted by Malaysia following the last session in Sabah in 2018. Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail said the incident occurred soon after the helicopter took off from the Tanjung Kupang police station at 9.51am. He said the helicopter was transporting five people comprising two senior officers and three others, including the pilot from the police air wing and a policeman from the station. 'The Air Accident Investigation Bureau under the Transport Ministry will carry out further investigations, in line with Part XXVI of the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016,' he said in a statement. Mohd Khalid also expressed his gratitude to all the agencies involved for their effort in coordinating and carrying out the rescue operation. (Below) Police personnel rushing to rescue thevictims of the copter crash. — Bernama He urged the public not to make any speculation or to share videos of the incident, which could hamper investigations. Since last year, there have been at least three other major incidents involving helicopters. In February this year, a Bell 206L-4 Long Ranger helicopter caught fire while landing at Jalan Lama Kuala Lumpur-Bentong, Pahang, resulting in the death of one individual and the rescue of another. Last June, three army officers were injured after an M81-11 (Agusta A109 LOH) military helicopter made an emergency landing during a night air exercise in Kluang, Johor. In April last year, 10 crew members were killed when two helicopters collided during training at the naval base in Lumut, Perak.
The Star
7 days ago
- The Star
Keeping illegal imports of radioactive material in check
JOHOR BARU: The Atomic Energy Department (Atom Malaysia) records an average of 15 cases of radioactive material smuggling each year, with most incidents detected at Port Klang. Atom Malaysia deputy directorgeneral Monalija Kostor said the smuggling of radioactive materials like Cobalt-60 and Cesium-137, both into and out of the country, is detected by Radiation Portal Monitors (RPMs) at sea and land border entry points. She said one of the main tactics used by smugglers was to declare the cargo as other types of goods to avoid detection by the authorities. 'Most smuggling cases occur at Port Klang, a highly active import and export hub, where several containers have been found with radioactive materials. 'Smugglers use various tactics such as falsely declaring goods as dairy products, toys or textiles to conceal the radioactive cargo,' she added. Monalija said this during a press conference after the Malaysia-Indonesia-Thailand-Singapore Multilateral Nuclear Security Detection Exercise (Mitsatom) 2025 held at a hotel here yesterday. She added that any radioactive materials smuggled into the country would be returned to the country of origin. 'If smuggled out of our country, the government will seize the material and bring the case to court to determine its forfeiture from the owner. 'The radioactive material may then be taken over by the government for proper handling or returned to the owner after a fine is imposed,' she said. Monalija added that such smuggling cases are considered serious and must be curbed as they could pose risks to public safety and national security. She said radioactive materials are commonly used in industries such as oil and gas, plastics, and electronics, which may explain why illegal smuggling often occurs to avoid regulatory costs or to maximise profits. 'Typically, illegal imports occur to avoid company costs or due to unawareness of Malaysia's radioactive material regulations. But we will not allow such things to happen,' she added. As such, she said Atom Malaysia continuously implements strict border controls to ensure that any movement of radioactive materials into or out of Malaysia is done legally under existing laws. Monalija added that Malaysia is ramping up efforts to prevent radioactive material smuggling by hosting a high-level international field training exercise, Mitsatom, in Johor this week. She said the training involves participants from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, focusing on nuclear security awareness, border surveillance and response coordination to incidents involving illicit trafficking of radioactive materials. Monalija added that a field training exercise would be held on this Thursday at a maritime jetty in Gelang Patah under the Mitsatom programme. She also said ahead of the main drill, the programme includes tabletop simulation exercises today and tomorrow, as well as a nuclear security talk to raise awareness among participants and observers from all four participating nations. 'The training aims to assess cross-border communication and emergency responses involving the detection and interdiction of radioactive material smuggling. The simulation scenarios involve land and maritime smuggling routes shared between Malaysia and its neighbours. 'These include land borders with Thailand and Singapore as well as maritime borders with Indonesia as a potential trafficking route,' she said. Monalija added that Mitsatom is Malaysia's fourth international nuclear security exercise since 2015, making it one of the most active countries in South-East Asia in countering nuclear smuggling. She added earlier drills were conducted with Thailand (in 2015 and 2016), focusing on land border interdiction, while in 2018, Malaysia hosted a maritime-focused drill with Indonesia and the Philippines in Kota Kinabalu. 'This year's exercise is especially comprehensive, combining both land and sea interdiction scenarios to test preparedness across multiple border types. 'We have designed four smuggling scenarios where radioactive materials are successfully intercepted and returned to the authorities,' she said. Monalija added that the training exercises help Malaysian authorities and their counterparts from within the region to ensure that radioactive sources remain under legal control and do not fall into the wrong hands. 'Our top priority is to ensure radioactive materials are tightly regulated, and that our borders remain secure against nuclear threats,' she said.
The Star
07-07-2025
- The Star
Four-nation exercise to boost regional nuclear security
JOHOR BARU: Malaysia is intensifying efforts to prevent the smuggling of radioactive materials through its borders through a high-level international field training exercise in Johor this week. The Nuclear Security Detection Exercise, Malaysia-Indonesia-Thailand-Singapore 2025 (Mitsatom 2025) will focus on nuclear security awareness, border surveillance and response coordination to incidents involving illicit trafficking of radioactive materials. Atomic Energy Department (Atom Malaysia) deputy director-general Monalija Kostor said a training exercise would be held under Mitsatom on Thursday (July 10) at a maritime jetty in Gelang Patah. She added that ahead of Thursday's drill, the programme will include tabletop simulation exercises on Tuesday and Wednesday (July 8 and 9) as well as a nuclear security talk to raise awareness among participants and observers from all four participating nations. 'The training aims to assess cross-border communication and emergency responses involving the detection and interdiction of radioactive material smuggling. "The simulation scenarios involve land and maritime smuggling routes shared by Malaysia and its neighbours. 'These include land borders with Thailand and Singapore as well as maritime borders with Indonesia as potential trafficking routes,' she told the press after the launch of Mitsatom 2025 by Johor education and information committee chairman Aznan Tamin at a hotel here on Monday (July 7). Mitsatom is Malaysia's fourth international nuclear security exercise since 2015, making it one of the most active countries in South-East Asia in countering nuclear smuggling, she added. Earlier drills were conducted with Thailand in 2015 and 2016 focusing on land border interdiction, while in 2018, Malaysia hosted a maritime-focused drill with Indonesia and the Philippines in Kota Kinabalu. 'This year's exercise is especially comprehensive, combining both land and sea interdiction scenarios to test preparedness across multiple border types. 'We have designed four smuggling scenarios where radioactive materials are successfully intercepted and returned to the authorities,' Monalija said. The training exercises also help Malaysian authorities and their counterparts in the region to ensure that radioactive sources remain under legal control and do not fall into the wrong hands, she added. 'Our top priority is to ensure radioactive materials are tightly regulated, and that our borders remain secure against nuclear threats,' she said.
