Customs has decided to bring drones from America and China, Commissioner General of Customs Yoosuf Maniu Mohamed has said.
Briefing the Parliament's 241 Committee about Customs operations, Maniu said the agency presently lacks the capacity to monitor foreign vessels and control the country's border.
"In addition to that, we're bringing drones from America, too. We're bringing drones from China as well. We need drones. What happens is that we don't have any way to monitor vessels that come from abroad," Maniu said.
At present, Customs seeks assistance from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) to use coastguard vessels to stop or search ships, he noted.
In addition to drones, Customs is also expecting an 85-foot vessel from Japan, the Commissioner said. Two vessels from China and vessels from America are also expected to arrive next year, he said.
After Maniu's remarks, Hulhudhoo MP Mohamed Shahid asked whether Customs could use the MNDF's drones.
In response, Maniu said that an MoU has already been signed for the operation of the new drones jointly with the MNDF's Air Corp, which would enable the military to use the Customs drones and increase the number of drones available to the MNDF.
Customs did not say today whether the drones would be procured with grant aid or government funds. However, Maniu said that the decision to operate the drones with the MNDF was made in order to avoid duplicating costs.
