Inter-agency cooperation key to curbing illegal cross-border activities in Kelantan

PASIR MAS: Enforcement agencies must strengthen cooperation to ensue more comprehensive border control in Kelantan, especially in curbing cross-border activities through illegal routes.

Rantau Panjang Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) (MCBA) commander Siti Khadijah Hamzah said it oversees five authorised entry points in Kelantan, while other enforcement agencies are reponsible for areas that have not been gazetted, in accordance with their respective jurisdictions.

The five entry points are Pengkalan Kubor in Tumpat, Rantau Panjang in Pasir Mas, Bukit Bunga in Tanah Merah, Pelabuhan Tok Bali in Pasir Puteh and Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Kota Baru.

"AKPS only has jurisdiction on authorised entry points, while non-gazetted areas fall under the control of other enforcement agencies, including the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), General Operations Force (GOF), Malaysian Army (MAF) and Malaysian Maritime Enfocement Agency," she told Bernama at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex in Rantau Panjang here recently.

Siti Khadijah said coordination between agencies was crucial to ensuring effective border control, especially in areas with illegal routes.

She said one of the main challenges was the emergence of new routes after existing illegal bases had been shut down, thus the need for continuous monitoring by the relevant agencies.

She added that cross-border activities had also evolved, with movements increasingly shifting to sea routes.

As such, cooperation between land-based and maritime security and enforcement agencies is crucial to curbing cross-border movements through illegal routes and safeguarding the security of Kelantan's borders. — BERNAMA