Southern Thailand violence puts a damper on cross-border travel from Malaysia

PASIR MAS, Aug 26 — Movement in and out of the Rantau Panjang Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security (ICQS) Complex here has dropped following the bomb explosions, shootings, and building arson incidents in three southern Thai provinces last Saturday.

Rantau Panjang Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) Commander Siti Khadijah Hamzah said that 3,298 movements entering Malaysia were recorded from Saturday to Monday, compared to 2,969 outgoing movements.

She said that the volume of incoming movement on Saturday stood at 2,068 before dropping to 1,230 on Sunday and Monday.

“Outgoing movements, meanwhile, were recorded at 1,696 on Saturday and decreased to 1,273 on Sunday and Monday,” she told Bernama recently.

According to her, the decline is believed to be linked to the simultaneous shooting, bombing, and building arson attacks that occurred at 51 locations across the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala last Saturday.

Meanwhile, a Bernama survey at the Rantau Panjang ICQS found the area quiet, without the usual traffic congestion typically seen even during public holidays.

Previously, vehicles entering Thailand would queue for nearly a kilometer, with total cross-border movements reaching 5,000 people during public holidays or weekends.

This situation is believed to have caused some Malaysians to postpone their trips to southern Thailand for tourism, shopping, and family visits.

Previously, Narathiwat province was placed under a curfew from 10:15 PM to 5:00 AM after more than 50 incidents – including bombings, the burning of local government offices, and tire burning – were reported across the three provinces.

The loud explosions originating from Narathiwat, southern Thailand, also shook homes and caused anxiety among residents along the Malaysia-Thailand border, including Kampung Lubok Gong and Kampung Tersang in Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas, Kelantan. — Bernama