KUCHING, The Defence Ministry (MINDEF) has allocated RM303 million to strengthen Malaysian Army facilities in Sarawak. Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the allocation would be used for army camp construction projects, among other things. 'The total (RM303 million) does not include equipment procurement for the army in Sarawak costing RM70 million,' he told reporters after visiting Penrissen Camp here today, adding that the ministry would also build several control posts along the Sarawak-Kalimantan border. 'Now we have 17 border posts in Sarawak, and we are building several new posts and once completed, Sarawak will have 23 control posts,' he said. He also shared that the ministry and the Sarawak government have agreed to set up a working committee to ensure all MINDEF projects in the state would be conducted smoothly. 'This is our commitment to strengthen defence in Sarawak, the committee will hopefully overcome any challenges relating to the construction of defence projects in Sa rawak,' he said. On the construction of the Marine Region 4 Base (MAWILLA 4) in Bintulu, Mohamed Khaled said the project was still at the process of resolving land property issues. 'The allocation this year for the payment of premium duties for the base is available. After the matter of land acquisition is completed, we will submit it to the Federal Government for construction and the costs will be determined later,' he added. Source : BERNAMA News Agency