KOTA BARU: Kelantan folk, especially those living along the Kelantan - Thailand border in Rantau Panjang, have expressed concern over the potential reopening of the border.
They believed that although such a move would be beneficial for trade, it could also be dangerous as Covid-19 cases in both countries were still high.
A resident, Rosli Nordin, said it was undeniable that the local business sector had been badly hit by the pandemic after travel restrictions were imposed in both countries.
"But they (Thai government) must trust the Malaysian government, especially the Health Ministry. If our government think that we are not ready to lift the travel ban, we must accept it with an open heart.
"Our government has its own reasons for not allowing the border to reopen. Hopefully, the Thai authorities will do the same," said the 28-year-old odd-job worker from Rantau Panjang Lama.
Another resident, Zaidi Abu Bakar said reopening the border would not be wise at this moment.
"Like us, Thailand is also still recording high numbers of Covid-19 cases. For security reasons and also for the people's safety, it is better for the border to remain closed this year," said the 45-year-old from Kampung Lubok Gong.
Thai authorities were recently quoted as saying that it would consider reopening the Thai-Malaysia border as proposed by parliament members from its southern region.
Thailand's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration's (CCSA) forward command, tasked with dealing with Covid-19 in the southern region, is expected to discuss and make a decision on the matter this week.
The Bangkok Post had quoted deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek as saying that the CCSA had previously agreed in principle with the proposal and had instructed its forward command to study the details.
However, Rachada said after Malaysia detected its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant in a foreign student who was quarantined after arrival from South Africa, they were now monitoring the situation in Malaysia.
She said the Thai government intended to reopen the Thai-Malaysia border and the CCSA had earlier met on Nov 26 to assess the Covid-19 situation in five southern provinces of Songkhla, Satun, Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani, with plans to reopen border checkpoints on Dec 16.
She added that its foreign ministry has informed Malaysian authorities of the move and the reopening of the border is expected to revive local tourism and boost economic growth in the southern region.
The border between Malaysia and Thailand have been closed for almost two years now as a result of Covid-19, affecting Thai workers who have been stranded in Malaysia. - NST
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