Kuala lumpur: The government is examining effective methods, including the use of monitoring technology, to address the widespread theft of railway cables that is disrupting the operations of the national railroad service. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said his ministry is looking into the use of technology to detect and prevent cable theft activities from recurring, as these thefts are a major issue for the service, particularly in the northern region.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Loke emphasized the severity of the situation, noting that it cannot be seen as mere theft cases due to the significant disruption to services and potential public safety hazards. "This is a national security and state security issue because the theft of these cables has caused significant disruptions to our services and poses a danger to the public," Loke noted.

Loke made these remarks during a press conference following the inauguration ceremony of the Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Free Trade Zone-Perlis Inland Port (PIP), which was officiated by the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail. The event was also attended by the Regent of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail.

He further mentioned that discussions with the Home Ministry (KDN) are ongoing regarding the tightening of laws against cable theft. Despite actions taken, cable theft remains rampant, posing a major challenge for the Transport Ministry. The high price of copper is believed to be a driving factor behind these activities, compounded by the extensive national railroad network, which spans approximately 1,000 kilometres and makes comprehensive monitoring challenging.

Loke explained that monitoring every kilometre and area is particularly difficult due to the remoteness of certain regions, which facilitates unauthorized access to the tracks. His ministry is also studying practices and solutions from other countries to address this issue, acknowledging that cable theft is a common problem faced by countries with rail systems. "The case of cable theft is not unique to Malaysia; all countries with a rail system face the same problem, and indeed, there are countries that may already have better solutions. We are trying to see what solutions have been implemented by other countries," he added.