Malaysia, Thailand agree on stricter checks along common border

NARATHIWAT, November 17 (TNA) - Thailand and Malaysia have agreed on stricter checks at border passes to jointly combat insurgency and illegal crime, namely goods smuggling, between the two neighbouring countries. The agreed move was a resolution of a meeting between Thai and Malaysian delegations, led by General Sirichai Ditthakul, a Thai army chief of staff tasked with internal security operations, and Brigadier General Muhammad Sagi Bin Hayi Hamyoh, Commander of the 8th Infantry of Malaysia's northern Kelantan State, at a customs checkpoint in Su-ngai Kolok District of Thailand's southernmost Narathiwat Province on Wednesday. The agreement followed frequent violent cases believed to have been triggered by the armed Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) insurgent force in Su-ngai Kolok and Rantau Panjang Town in the Kelantan State along the common border, with adverse effects on cross-border businesses. The Thai and Malaysian delegations also agreed to work together and to hold joint meetings once a month, at which updated information on operational problems and records of wanted suspects will be exchanged, and to legalise more than existing 50 informal border passes in the foreseeable future for the sake of sustainable businesses and development along the common border. (TNA)