Thai police plan barbed wire at illegal crossings on the Sungai Golok border, aiming to curb crime and drug trafficking with Malaysia’s cooperation.
KOTA BHARU: Thai police will install barbed wire at illegal crossing points along the Sungai Golok River border with Malaysia.
Narathiwat Provincial police chief Maj Gen Prayong Kotsakha said this is an initial step to strengthen security control in the area.
He stated the move is part of a broader effort to tighten border security.
The barbed wire installation is a first phase before further measures like security walls and CCTV cameras are introduced.
“This measure aims to strengthen border control and curb cross-border criminal activities,” he told Malaysian media.
Prayong added that Thai authorities would seek feedback from villagers before implementing the plan.
He stressed close cooperation between Malaysia and Thailand is crucial for effective monitoring.
The police chief also commended Malaysian authorities for installing warning signs at illegal crossing points.
Commenting on drug trafficking, Prayong said authorities detected an increase in smuggling using courier services.
Three cases were detected since the end of last month in Rueso, Rangae and Sungai Golok districts.
These involved the seizure of between 10,000 and 500,000 Yaba pills.
Most of the intercepted drugs were believed to have been destined for Malaysia.
Taking legal action has been difficult as smugglers use other individuals’ identities.
Syndicates also frequently provide inaccurate delivery addresses to avoid detection.
Prayong added most Yaba pills were transported from northern Thailand.
They are temporarily stored in border districts like Sungai Golok or Takbai before being smuggled into Malaysia.
Drug trafficking often takes place in border areas to evade detection by enforcement agencies.
“Our investigations also found that some Yaba pills smuggled into Malaysia were brought back into Thailand,” he said.
This occurred after syndicates feared the drugs would be detected and seized.
The Sun Malaysia
