KOTA BARU: The construction of a security and flood wall along Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang has been proposed to assist the General Operations Force (GOF) in curbing cross-border criminal activities, says Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razarudin Husain.
He said that the proposed security wall in the border area would also facilitate the deployment of GOF personnel for border surveillance.
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"I do not deny that issues such as the smuggling of drugs, firearms, cooking oil and raw materials can be reduced if the security wall is built, which would also ease the GOF's assignments," he said.
"The GOF operates many posts along the Malaysia-Thailand border to combat such cross-border crime," he added.
According to Razarudin, a significant allocation was required for the construction of the security wall, along with resolving issues related to private land ownership, before the project could proceed.
"We also need to consider the allocation, as it involves a large cost. Additionally, most of the land there (in Rantau Panjang) near Sungai Golok does not have a buffer zone, making it difficult to implement the project," he said.
It was reported on Thursday (Nov 14) that the Thai government had agreed to Malaysia's plan to construct a security and flood wall along Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang.
Narathiwat Governor Trakul Thotham said the wall would help address various cross-border crimes.
On Nov 5, the Kelantan government announced that it would propose to the federal government the construction of a wall along the Malaysia-Thailand border in the state.
Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Mohamed Fadzli Hassan said the construction of the nearly 100km wall along the border was crucial to combat smuggling activities as well as to control floods.
On Nov 11, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was reported as saying that the construction of the wall remained at the proposal stage.
As the Border Security Committee chairman, he noted that the matter was frequently discussed, but the ultimate authority lies with the National Security Council (MKN), chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. – Bernama
