KOTA BARU: Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said any Malaysian crossing into Thailand illegally will be hit with a heavy fine of RM10,000 effective Dec 1, 2024.
"We want Kelantanese as well as other Malaysians to stop using illegal jetties and cross to Thailand via legal routes which is the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security (ICQS) complex," he told a press conference here today (Nov 18).
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.
Mohd Yusoff also said from Dec 1, all agencies including General Operations Force (GOF) personnel have been ordered to arrest those who cross over the Golok river via the many illegal jetties along Kelantan/Thai border.
The narrow Golok river separates Malaysia and Thailand.
"This was not a new directive or rule. In our recent meeting with other state border agencies, we decided to enforce the law," he said.
Mohd Yusoff said the RM10,000 fine will also be enforced on foreigners who enter Malaysia illegally.
"GOF personnel have been ordered told to patrol the Golok river along its 27 security posts in Kelantan," he added.
In a bid to combat crime and smuggling, Kelantan has proposed a 100km border wall.