KOTA BARU: There is a need for the government to formulate and introduce a mechanism to resolve the issue of 500 students from Thailand using an illegal jetty on Sungai Golok to attend school in Rantau Panjang.
Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohamed Fadzli Hassan said that, as such, the state government would support any decision made by the Federal Government on border security matters, including the ban on cross-border crossings via illegal jetties on Sungai Golok, starting Dec 1.
"The state government is ready to hold discussions with the relevant ministries, including the Home Ministry and the Education Ministry, to address the issue of students crossing the border to attend schools in Kelantan.
"We will discuss the matter first and see what can be done to overcome it and find a solution to the issue.
"We do not want to burden the students, but at the same time, the issue of border security also requires attention," he told reporters after attending the Kelantan Assembly sitting here today.
He assured that the state government would also give its full cooperation to the federal agencies in resolving the issue.
"The new state police chief recently met with the Menteri Besar and several senior state officers to discuss border issues, including the move to strengthen border crossing checks starting Dec 1.
"He informed us that this measure was taken, among other reasons, to reduce smuggling and other cross-border activities."
On the plan by the Immigration Department to open the border gate an hour earlier, he said the move was good.
"This will prevent students who lives in Sungai Golok, Thailand, to use illegal jetties," he added.
It was reported that the Immigration Department will open the Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan, an hour earlier at 6am starting Dec 1.
However, Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the earlier opening of the ICQS counters would only be implemented once approval was secured from Thai authorities, as it involved cross-border movements.
The move is aimed at facilitating the daily commute of nearly 500 Thai students attending schools in Malaysia and preventing congestion at the Rantau Panjang ICQS counters, which could delay students from reaching school on time.