The decision whether to build a proposed border wall in Malaysia along the riverbank across from Narathiwat province in Thailand will be made by Malaysia's top national security body.
Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Sunday the wall mooted by Kelantan state was still in the early stage. The final call would be made by the National Security Council, which is chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Bernama news agency reported.
He was speaking after Kelantan state announced it would seek approval from the Malaysian government to erect a 100 kilometre wall along the Kolok River, which marks the frontier with Thailand in Narathiwat povince.
Kelantan's proposal comes amid growing frustration among lawmakers struggling to contain cross-border crime, particularly smuggling, along the border with Thailand.
That includes the recent arrest of a lorry driver allegedly trying to smuggle 13,000 kilogrammes of subsidised sugar worth 40,000 ringgit (311,000 baht) in Malaysia to Narathiwat via an illegal pier on the Kolok River in Kelantan, the New Straits Times reported on Monday. It could be sold in Thailand at a considerable mark-up.
Mr Saifuddin said the Malaysian government was serious about clamping down on illegal border activities. This included use of closed circuit surveilance cameras and fences or walls along the entire border, according to the Malaysian news agency. Drones would also soon be deployed, he said.
The Kolok River delineates the border between Narathiwat and Kelantan for about 100 kilometres, immediately before it flows into the Gulf of Thailand.