KOTA BARU: The drying up of Sungai Golok has made it easier for smugglers to cross the Malaysia-Thailand border undetected.
Sources familiar with those involved in smuggling claimed that at certain stretches of the river, smugglers could dash across the dry riverbed in less than a minute.
A Thai national, who only wanted to be known as Jai, said in certain areas like Jeram Perdah near here, the distance between the Malaysian and Thai riverbank was less than 50 metres.
This, said the 28-year-old from Tak Bai, meant that smugglers could easily ferry their contraband across, which include foodstuff, drugs and even guns.
"This has prompted many smugglers to exploit the situation to smuggle more contraband items across. The smugglers will usually communicate with each other via mobile phone and set a meeting point after ensuring that there are no security patrols.
"In the past, you needed a boat, which would take five minutes to cross the river. But now, at certain parts of the river, you can just wade across with little effort," he said.
Smugglers, he added, could also choose from the almost 160 illegal jetties along Sungai Golok to cut across to the other side.
"They won't use the same jetty all the time. If one jetty is getting attention from the authorities, they will simply shift to a more secluded one," he said.
A Pasir Mas resident who declined to be named claimed that an average of one firearm makes its way across the border every month.
"Some are seized by the authorities, but there are still guns which will be smuggled into Malaysia.
"For these smugglers, it's risky business but there is a lucrative payoff," claimed the 43-year-old, who said smugglers could make about RM2,000 per smuggled gun.
A commander of the General Operations Force (GOF) tasked with maintaining security along the border concurred that the falling water level in Sungai Golok has added another challenge to the authorities.
GOF Southeast Brigade commander Senior Assistant Commissioner Sheik Azhar Sheik Omar said its three battalions had foiled 1,262 smuggling attempts last year, and recorded seizures totalling RM118.6 million.
"The seized goods included rice, frozen chicken and livestock. There were also cases where we seized drugs and firearms," he said, adding that the majority of the cases were in Rantau Panjang and Pasir Mas.
Azhar also underscored the challenge of patrolling the porous Malaysia-Thai border.
He said Malaysia shared around 96km of Sungai Golok with Thailand.
The GOF Southeast Brigade, he said, manages a 59km stretch from Pos Ibrahim Pencen to Pulau Tengkorak.
Azhar said while the current manpower of 400 personnel was adequate, he believed that setting up a perimeter fencing along the border would go a long way to deter smuggling.
"The establishment of a buffer zone can also help tackle smuggling," he said.
