SIBU, Jan 13 – The public are warned against flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones near restricted areas. Sibu police chief ACP Mohd Kamal Kordi said anyone doing so could possibly face action under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act 1959 (Act 298).
“A person can be jailed for life if there is an element of spying in the case. I would like to advised UAV owners to choose open areas such as parks or the town square to indulge in their recreation,” he told reporters on Tuesday when asked to comment on the ‘landing’ of a drone in the compound of the central prison here Monday.
Mohd Kamal cited ports, airports and army camps as some of the restricted areas for such activity. In the incident Monday, a white coloured drone equipped with a camera fell on the roof of one of the prison blocks around 10.55 pm. It appeared to belong to a man in his 40s who was with his three children at the football field next to the prison.
The man had approached the prison gate and asked a prison warden to get the drone for him but was asked to return the next day. Prison staff inspected the drone and found that it was equipped with a camera and 2GB memory card and had a blurred recording of the prison compound. Mohd Kamal said the drone was flown by the man’s son and an investigation found no criminal element in the incident.
