| Siti Hajar |
EFFECTIVE measures have been put in place to further secure the country’s borders in view of the current global security climate, the Minister of Communications said.
Regular meetings are taking place in terms of security as a means to overcome the rising threats within and beyond the region, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Mustappa bin Haji Sirat told the Bulletin on the sidelines of the International Civil Aviation Day celebrations at the Brunei International Airport yesterday.
“We are informed especially about what happens in the region and nearby places and as with other airports we are touching up on our security measures. This is something we are giving serious attention to,” the minister added.
Among what will continue to be practised, he said, is the receiving of passenger manifest in advance from airlines that enter the country to enable passenger identification if and when necessary.
As Brunei looks towards becoming more welcoming to tourists, the minister assured that security will not be compromised. “Whatever we do it will have to be within the constraints of our security policies. We have to be creative including through the use of technology,” he said, adding that Brunei’s security police “is well-founded”.
Among the measures that authorities are looking at, he said, is engaging the private sector in the various aspects of communication and transportation.
The Minister of Communications, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Mustappa bin Haji Sirat delivering his speech. – BAHYIAH BAKIR
In his speech at the event, the minister said that the Civil Aviation Department has engaged the Civil Aviation Authority International (CAAi) Limited from the United Kingdom through the Framework Agreement on Aviation Regulatory Advisory Services Project to realise commitments under the Civil Aviation Convention, also known as the Chicago Convention.
Under this project, several important aviation-related themes will be addressed including legislation, regulations, processes and procedures and training requirements alongside flight operations, airworthiness, aerodrome security as well as aviation accident investigation.
The project, the minister said, is expected to produce a number of deliverables including the declaration of a new civil aviation order and regulations totalling to 19 in line with the 19 Annexes of the Chicago Convention.
The Effective Implementation Rate for the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme and Universal Security Audit Programme is targeted at 80 per cent in 2017 and 100 per cent by 2020.
This year’s theme set by the ICAO, ‘Working Together to Ensure No Country is Left Behind’, focuses on ICAO’s “significant and different” safety concerns among its member nations in implementing the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices.
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