RANTAU PANJANG: Parents from both Rantau Panjang and Golok, Thailand, are appealing to authorities to permit students to use the illegal crossing at Sungai Golok for their daily journey to school.
They said that most children in Golok attended schools in Malaysia, while some Malaysian students studied in Thailand.
The closure of the illegal crossing creates significant challenges for both groups of students.
Surveys indicate that nearly 500 students from Thailand use the route daily to attend schools in Rantau Panjang, where they pay RM1 for the crossing and begin waiting for boats as early as 6.30am.
Many of these students are enrolled in local schools such as Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Rantau Panjang, SMK Rantau Panjang, SK Tok Deh, SK Gual Tinggi, and Sekolah Ugama Arab Lubok Gong.
The illegal crossings at Jambu, Ibrahim Pencen, and Paun are commonly used by the children.
While Ishak Ghazali, a 63-year-old resident of Golok, expressed his support for the closure of the crossings, he said that students should be allowed some flexibility.
"If the illegal crossing is closed, how will the children get to school?"
"Using the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security Complex (ICQS) will delay their arrival, and not all parents have the means to transport their children there every day," he said.
Ishak also said that travelling to the ICQS incurred additional costs, as it was located far from the border area.
"We're requesting that students be allowed to use the illegal crossing due to the large number involved.
"For generations, families from Golok have sent their children to school in Rantau Panjang, as there are more opportunities in Malaysia," he added.
Ishak, who has family ties in both Malaysia and Thailand, suggested that if the ICQS route is required, authorities in both countries should streamline the process to ensure students arrive on time.
Yesterday, media reports said that the Kelantan police would detain anyone using the illegal crossings along Sungai Golok to cross the Malaysia-Thailand border, effective Dec 1.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said that individuals found using these crossings would be detained under Section 5(2) of the Immigration Act, which stipulates a fine of up to RM10,000 if convicted, and he has instructed the General Operations Force (PGA) and his officers to conduct 24-hour monitoring at the border.