ILLEGAL VISITS TO THAILAND FOR FIREWORKS RISING
Malaysians travel to border town via illegal boats, jetties
RAMADAN is less than a week in, but Malaysians have started to illegally cross over to this southern Thai sub-province to buy firecrackers and fireworks for Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Mostly from Kelantan, they travel here, a town across Sungai Golok, from Pengkalan Kubor in Tumpat, via the many illegal jetties along the river.
They travel in illegal passenger boats, and buy firecrackers and fireworks at warehouses in isolated areas.
They choose to buy the items in Thailand as they are cheaper there.
A seller, who wanted to be known only as Kak Moh, said she started receiving customers from Malaysia on May 19.
Despite being warned by Thai authorities not to sell the banned items, the 65year-old said she continued because the profit was good.
“I know that it is a risk to sell them. That is why I do so in secret.”
Kak Moh has been in business for more than 20 years.
She said most of her Malaysian clients would buy the items and sell them in their hometowns at higher prices.
A firecracker smuggler, who declined to be named, said there was a lot of demand for the items.
“Before, we receive demand for only Thai rice, but now it has changed to firecrackers and fireworks. They are hot items now ,” he said at an illegal jetty in Pengkalan Kubor.
The 28-year-old said he and his friends had doubled their income, which was between RM200 and RM400 a day previously.
It is learnt that Malaysian border enforcement authorities, such as the army and marine police, have stepped up operations along the river in light of these increased activities.