Clamp on border’s rat lanes

On guard: A police officer from Battalion 2 of D Company of the GOF inspecting a Thai national driver’s document at a roadblock near the Malaysia-Thailand border in Wang Kelian.

KANGAR: The villagers of Kampung Wang Kelian were used to seeing Thai-registered vehicles plying the backroads of their hamlet, stacked with canisters of diesel, cooking oil or bags of rice.

The vehicles, used by smugglers, would skirt the main roads to drive into the village at the Malaysia-Thailand borders before sneaking into the neighbouring country.