Malaysia has imposed tighter border security to prevent the spread of deadly avian influenza through smuggled poultry following the detection of new infections in neighbouring countries, officials said Saturday. The country's Veterinary Department said it would increase the number of officers stationed at its northern border with Thailand in order to ensure that no birds or chicken products are smuggled in, said the department spokesman. Customs and police personnel will aid in the tightening of surveillance at the borders, he said. The move to tighten security was in response to the continued threat of the deadly bird flu virus in neighbouring Thailand and Cambodia, said the department Director-General Hawari Hussein. "The cases in Vietnam and Cambodia are still considered a threat to the safety of the people and poultry here," Hawari told the official Bernama news agency late Friday. "We want to remind those who plan to smuggle chicken, ducks or birds into the country that they will be dealt with in accordance with the law," he said. Malaysian authorities declared the country free of avian influenza on January 5, but said it would remain on alert against the deadly bird flu virus. The government has banned the import of chickens, ducks and eggs from Thailand and other affected countries. The bird flu virus in the last year has forced the culling of more than 100 million birds across Asia and killed at least 32 people in Thailand and Vietnam. Malaysia reported its first case of bird flu in mid-August, after two fighting cocks were found dead in the northern Kelantan state bordering Thailand. The entire state was later placed under quarantine. While there have not been any human cases of bird flu in Malaysia, the outbreak has cost the country's poultry industry millions of ringgit in losses due to poultry import bans.
