Sungai Kolok office resumes border passes after blasts
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Sungai Kolok office resumes border passes after blasts

Malaysians in Kelantan urged not to cross border to Narathiwat for food

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District chief Supeeyan Taemohseng, wearing blue, inspects the damage at one of the buildings in the district compound of Sungai Kolok, Narathiwat province, on Thursday. (Photo: Narathiwat Public Relations Office)
District chief Supeeyan Taemohseng, wearing blue, inspects the damage at one of the buildings in the district compound of Sungai Kolok, Narathiwat province, on Thursday. (Photo: Narathiwat Public Relations Office)

The district office in Sungai Kolok, Narathiwat, resumed issuing border passes on Friday after the service was halted due to downtown bombs that caused extensive damage to several buildings.

District chief Supeeyan Taemohseng announced the resumption of the border pass service on Friday. 

On March 8, the bombs detonated by suspected insurgents caused extensive damage to buildings in the district office compound, including the auditorium that also houses the section dealing with border passes.

Two defence volunteers were killed, and 14 other officials and civilians were injured when the attackers threw bombs and sprayed bullets at the district office.

Around 300 people apply for the temporary travel document at the office each day to cross the border into Kelantan state in Malaysia.

Malaysians residing in Kelantan were advised to support local food instead of buying it in Sungai Kolok during the fasting month of Ramadan amid security concerns in southern Thailand.

State chief minister Mohd Nassurudin Daud urged his compatriots to buy local delicacies for safety reasons due to concerns in the border district, Bernama reported on Wednesday.

"There is no need to go to Sungai Kolok in such a situation when we can support local traders in our own states," he was quoted as saying.

Bombs also went off at three other locations in Sungai Kolok on March 8, but no injuries were reported.

According to the Songhkla Tourism Promotion Association, violence in Thailand's deep South, which prompted Malaysia to advise its citizens to delay visits to these areas, is likely to result in 10% of bookings being cancelled, as operators urge the government to seek a long-term solution to restore confidence.

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