KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — A villager has said that undocumented migrants and smugglers can easily evade authorities due to the porous nature of the Malaysian-Thai border.
“Every time the police conduct operations, existing rat lanes will be closed. But new routes are made,” said the villager, who requested anonymity, The Star reports.
Villagers in the area also claim they can spot undocumented migrants sneaking into Malaysia at night using “lorong tikus” or “rat lanes”, pointing to narrow footpaths near the border in Kampung Kolam, close to the Padang Besar train station.
Smugglers and traffickers are believed to use these footpaths as routes to carry drugs and firearms into the country.
The villagers have nicknamed their area “Kampung Colombia,” referencing the South American country known for drug smuggling.
“I feel ashamed to tell people I was born in this village,” said a 24-year-old villager from Kampung Kolam.
She works at a grocery shop and often sees suspicious characters, believed to be smugglers and undocumented migrants, near the shop early in the morning.
“It is like a normal situation for us here. Some of these smugglers, we know them too because they are locals,” she said.
Other sources said that smugglers are also using sea routes at the coastal town of Kuala Perlis.
“Drugs, firearms and even undocumented migrants come in small numbers via sea. They use luxury cars to ferry their contraband inland,” a source who previously worked with a border enforcement agency told The Star.
Padang Besar MP Rushdan Rusmi has urged villagers near the border to report any suspicious activity to the police.
“Most importantly, never take action on your own,” Rushdan advised.
He said the authorities are continually increasing border security.
He added that the Padang Besar Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, Security Complex needs to improve its facilities.
Rushdan believes the newly established Malaysian Checkpoints and Border Agency should be empowered to better combat illegal activities near the border.
