TUMPAT: More than 10 locations along the coast of Pantai Geting here have been identified as hotspots for smuggling activities, especially involving illegal immigrants and contraband cigarettes.
Kelantan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director, Maritime Captain Erwan Shah Soahdi said the five-kilometre coastal area located near the Malaysia-Thailand border is often used as a main route for smugglers.
He said smugglers chose this area because of its strategic location and is surrounded by thick forests and bushes which make it easy for them to hide from authorities' patrols.
"The entry of contraband goods and immigrants is usually done at night, but many attempts have been successfully thwarted as a result of continuous patrols since last year," he told reporters after participating in a Border Monitoring Operation with the National Security Council (NSC) in Pengkalan Kubor, on Monday (Oct 13).
The three-hour operation was attended by 27 MMEA officers and personnel and NSC, covering the South China Sea, Sungai Golok and Sungai Geting.
According to Erwan Shah, smugglers have also installed tonto in the landing area around Pulau Tengkorak near Pantai Geting to monitor the movement of authorities.
He said Kelantan Maritime also proposed the installation of Sea Surveillance System (Swasla) Remote Sensored Site (RSS) on the east coast to improve enforcement efficiency.
"With this radar system, it is easier to detect cross-border criminal activities. An area of four hectares on Pulau Tengkorak has also been identified as a strategic location for the construction of the Pengkalan Kubor Maritime Post," he said.
Also present was Kelantan MKN director, Datuk Mohd A Aruwan Abd Aziz. - Bernama
