Indian woman caught with drugs

KUANTAN: Pahang Customs Department foiled a second attempt to smuggle drugs through the Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport (LTSAS) with the arrest of female Indian national four days ago.
The 49-year-old suspect was caught while she tried to smuggle in 5kg of ketamine worth RM175,000 on March 14. State Customs Department director Datuk Sarip Ismail said the method was similar to an attempt on Dec 26.
"The suspect had departed from Calcutta on March 13 and transited at Singapore before arriving here the next day. We are focusing on the possibility of syndicates trying to smuggle drugs through smaller airports like LTSAS," he said at Wisma Kastam here yesterday.
On Dec 26, a 37-year-old male Indian national was caught trying to smuggle 4.9kg of methamphetamines worth RM171,500 through LTSAS. - New strait Times

Export licence for wooden product

MYTLAS License

Implementation of the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) will come into force from March 2013. Enforcement of EUTR means timber products can only be exported to the EU if the product:
(i) is accompanied with  FLEGT VPA Licence; or
(ii) has been able to meet the requirements of 'due diligence'.

Malaysia is supportive of the of the EU FLEGT VPA initiative and is in the final stages of concluding this Agreement.  Underpinning the VPA is the Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) that will assure the legality of timber and timber products exported to the EU. Since the FLEGT VPA has not been concluded and the instruments that need to be placed have not been subjected to the necessary scrutiny as required in the Agreement, Malaysia is not in a position yet to implement the FLEGT Licensing System (FLS) and issue the FLEGT VPA Licence.


However, Malaysia is sufficiently confident that the TLAS for Peninsular Malaysia can be implemented and that its implementation more than meets the requirements of the due diligence under the EUTR.  The TLAS has been subjected to four sessions of evaluation by the Joint Expert Meeting (JEM) and has been agreed at the technical level. The instruments that are necessary for implementation of the TLAS have also been activated.  This includes the setting up and operation of the Implementing Agency Coordination Committee (IACC) to facilitate coordination, information flow and enforcement activities of the eight (8) implementing Agencies to the Licensing Authority.

In addition, an independent consultant was commissioned to develop Guidelines and Checlist to facilitate auditing of the TLAS. This Guidelines and Checklist will be used by an accredited auditor to undertake a compliance audit to assess the robustness of the system. This exercise will commence in mid February 2013 during the trial run of the TLAS.


The Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) has tasked the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) to undertake the trial run of the TLAS and issue the MYTLAS Licence from February 2013 (Click Here). It should be clear that the issuance of the MYTLAS Licence is purely a Malaysian Government decision. It is still subjected to endorsement by the relevant authorities in the EU.

Malaysian exporters wishing to obtain the MYTLAS Licence can apply for  using the following Application Form;

i) FORM A (For use by companies that have an MTIB export licence),
ii) FORM B (For use by companies that do not have an MTIB export licence).

For more information, please contact the officer in FLEGT Unit at 03-9282 2235;

i) Ms. Sunita Muhammad ( sunita@mtib.gov.my ) (ext: 1215) and
ii) Mr. Zulhelmi Mohd Ali ( zulhelmi@mtib.gov.my ) (ext: 1357)

- Malaysia Timber Industry Board