Malaysia's military battles an army of termites

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's army is battling a silent but vicious enemy in the form of termites, who are threatening the country's wood and concrete-based camps, reports said on Saturday.

Deputy Defence Minister Zainal Abidin Zin said Malaysia's 80 military camps would be destroyed if the termites were not stopped, and that a ministry committee was identifying buildings infested with the bugs.

"These termites are like guerrillas inflicting damage on our facilities," Zainal was quoted as saying in the Star daily.

Camps plagued with the problems are older wood-based ones, but the termites are also taking to concrete structures, the New Straits Times reported.

"There are several problems with our camps like old age and wear and tear. But the biggest problem are the termites. There are more termites than members of the force," he was quoted as saying in the newspaper.

"The termites have gone from attacking wood to attacking anything that isn't pre-treated with anti-termite solutions," he said.

The minister said affected buildings were constructed decades ago, when there were no anti-termite treatments.