A Malaysian state bordering Thailand is pushing for the construction of a 100km wall along the frontier to tackle smuggling, control floods and rein in young revellers entering illegally into the neighbouring country.
Kelantan deputy chief minister Mohamed Fadzli Hassan said his administration would forward the proposal to the federal government to combat cross-border crime.
“If the security forces want to guard the entire border, it is difficult to do so because the Malaysia-Thailand border is very vast,” he said.
“The authorities always maintain strict control at the border near this state, but there are many illegal bases that make it difficult to monitor unlawful activities.”
The measure was first suggested by Kelantan police chief Mohd Yusoff Mamat who said Malaysian nightlife seekers were parking their vehicles at the state’s border town of Rantau Panjang before covertly crossing the Golok River into southern Thailand’s Narathiwat province.
“Most of these youngsters go to Thailand on Thursday evening and return to Kelantan by Saturday,” he said.