RANTAU PANJANG: Several Kelantan school students residing in Golok, Thailand, have started using the Customs, Immigration, Quarantine, and Security (ICQS) complex here to enter Malaysia.
The students said they were hesitant to use illegal jetties to cross into Malaysia after Kelantan police warned that those doing so risk arrest.
Most of the students seen entering the ICQS on Thai-registered motorcycles yesterday evening were Form 4 and Form 5 students.
One student, Erika, said she only began riding to school after the issue of illegal jetties gained public attention.
"Before this, I used to cross the river by boat, as the illegal jetty is very close to my house.
"But because I am afraid (of being arrested), I started riding my father's motorcycle. I ask my friends to ride with me to save costs," she said.
She added that several of her schoolmates living in Golok have also started using the ICQS, even though it is more cumbersome.
Another student, Shahira, said that she has a border pass, which makes going through the ICQS easier.
However, she said that using the ICQS requires her to leave home earlier to avoid traffic congestion at the complex and in Rantau Panjang.
"Perhaps if the ICQS opened earlier, it would be helpful to those rushing to school," she said.
It was previously reported that nearly 500 Kelantan school students enter the country via illegal jetties.
Kelantan Police Chief Datuk Mohd Yusuff Mamat said that the National Security Council would be discussing the matter.