Hundreds of students affected by Malaysia’s clampdown on Thai border illegal crossings; education ministry to investigate

SINGAPORE: Malaysia’s education minister will investigate reports of Malaysian and Thai students set to be affected when the authorities clamp down on Malaysians crossing the border from Thailand illegally from Dec 1.
Nearly 500 children consisting of both Malaysian and Thai citizens cross the Sungai Golok daily from Thailand to attend school in Malaysia, according to local media reports. “Sungai” means “river” in Malay.
Kelantan police chief Mohd Yusoff Mamat announced on Monday (Nov 18) the authorities will arrest Malaysians crossing the border illegally, especially at Sungai Golok, from Dec 1 under Section 5(2) of the Immigration Act 1959/1963 in an effort to curb smuggling. 
“I would like to remind all Malaysians wishing to enter neighbouring countries illegally that we will arrest them. All this time, they think it’s not a problem to enter Thailand illegally,” he was quoted as saying by local media. 
The announcement has sparked concern among residents on both sides of the Malaysia-Thai border, reported news outlet The Star. Many are urging the authorities to consider allowing students to continue using these illegal routes, especially to attend school in Rantau Panjang in Kelantan. 
The Golok river is around 100km long and connects Rantau Panjang to Sungai Golok border town in Thailand’s Narathiwat province.
“We will investigate and take note of this matter because the reported number (of students crossing the river) is extremely high,” Malaysia’s Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek told reporters on the sidelines of the MPH Bookstores launch at a shopping mall in Putrajaya on Tuesday (Nov 19).
According to news agency Bernama, primary and secondary school students would wait for boats to take them to Malaysia as early as 6.30am every morning. 
Each of them pays a RM1 (US$0.22) fee to board a boat from one of the five illegal bases popular among locals. 
The longstanding boat service operates twice daily, ferrying students to school at 6.30am (Thailand time) and back at 2pm (Malaysia time).
Mr Ishak Gazali, 61, a Malaysian who has lived in Narathiwat’s Sungai Golok town for decades, shared with Bernama that the children in his family have been attending school in Rantau Panjang for three generations.
“I’m a Malaysian and when the police announced that they would start detaining Malaysians using these crossings from Dec 1, I became worried because many children from this area use this route to get to school,” Mr Ishak was quoted as saying.
He added that it would be difficult for the students to use official entry points like the Rantau Panjang Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex (ICQS) as many of them do not have cars and live far away from these immigration complexes. 
Thai citizen Abdullah Abu Bakar, who is married to a Malaysian, told Bernama that such cross-border movements have become a way of life for the community, especially the children from Thailand attending school in Rantau Panjang. 
“I hope the governments of Malaysia and Thailand will make it easier for our children to continue their education without interruption,” 64-year-old Mr Abdullah was quoted as saying. 
Many residents disagree with the authorities’ decision, saying the people on either side of the border were like “brothers and sisters”, reported Sinar Harian. Some families are also spread across both sides of the border. 
The river is also a source of income, particularly for boat operators, others pointed out. 
“If (the authorities) want to take action, arrest those that did wrong such as smuggling,” a resident was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian. 
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on Wednesday (Nov 19) reiterated that there are only three official entry points along the Malaysia-Thailand border in Kelantan – the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complexes (ICQS) in Rantau Panjang, Bukit Bunga and Pengkalan Kubor. Taking other routes is a violation of the law, he said.
Mr Saifuddin added the Kelantan government’s proposal this month of a 100km border wall to enhance security and flood protection is still at the discussion stage and would be finalised by the National Security Council. The wall is expected to cost RM445 million (US$99 million) and the Thai government has reportedly agreed to it.
The wall proposal came days after the detention of six Malaysians by Thai police at a Sungai Golok hotel for illegally crossing the border and possessing more than 6,000 methamphetamine pills. The detainees included a popular local artiste from Kelantan.