RANTAU PANJANG: Three men including a boat operator, were arrested for entering Malaysia using illegal route at the Kelantan/Thai border here on Monday, believed to be the second group nabbed after the Dec 1 crackdown.
The three, all men, were caught by General Operations Force personnel at the Pohon Jambu illegal jetty.
GOF Southeast Brigade commander Datuk Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abd Hamid said the GOF personnel were conductind the Op Taring Wawasan operation when they spotted the three at about 4pm.
"The two locals and the boat operators were detained when they arrived at the jetty from the neighbouring country," he added.
He said.the three are currently being held while the case is being investigated under Section 5 (2) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Police have launched a crackdown on border crossing using illegal jetties beginning Dec 1.
State police chief, Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat had said any Malaysian crossing into Thailand illegally will be hit with a heavy fine of RM10,000 effective Dec 1.
He said police.want locals to stop using illegal jetties and cross to Thailand via legal routes which is the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security (ICQS) complex.
On Dec 8, deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said two Thai nationals and two Malaysians were the first individuals arrested in a police crackdown on illegal border crossings along the Kelantan-Thailand border.
He said the four were apprehended by police in two separate locations while attempting to cross Sungai Golok via illegal jetties in Rantau Panjang on Dec 7.
Many Malaysians cross into Thailand for shopping and for the vibrant night life activity which is restricted in the PAS-led Islamic government in Kelantan state. Locals skip across the river banks during low tide to enter southern Thailand.
The porous border also allows smugglers to thrive since enforcement is difficult.