SITTING astride the Strait of Malacca in the centre of Southeast Asia has brought the country immense blessings, from being a shipping hub since time immemorial to being an essential aviation centre for regional and international airlines in more recent times.
With this has come trade and tourism, making Malaysia a strategic magnet for people from all over. With blessings, though, usually comes a potential curse; that we attract also less savoury characters and those who have a criminal bent.
We need, therefore, not just to reap the clear economic advantages of our strategic location but also to take care that it does not become a strategic weakness. The same connectivity that makes the country a regional trade, aviation and logistics hub also provides opportunities for drug traffickers to move their illicit cargo across borders.
