WANG KELIAN FOLK WANT ZONE TO REOPEN
Traders, residents hope govt will act to boost economy at border village
TRADERS and residents here are pleading with the government to reopen the Free Flow Zone at the Malaysia-Thai border in Wang Kelian, which had been closed since 2015.
Wang Kelian village headman Razak Daud said the closure of the zone had affected the livelihood of about 300 villagers.
“The closure has affected our income and we really hope the government will look into this. We have highlighted this many times, but our pleas were ignored,” he said.
Trader Rokiah Manan said she used to earn about RM5,000 every weekend when the zone was open, but her income had now dipped to just RM200.
“I can only make that much, and this, too, is from trading at Wang Prachan on the Thai side.”
Border liaison committee chairman Ruzaini Rais said he planned to bring the matter up with Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man.
He said the matter had been raised before, and he hoped the new government would find a solution to the issue.
It was previously reported that the Barisan Nasional government had promised to look into proposals to boost economic development in Perlis, including reopening the Free Flow Zone in Wang Kelian.
In April, former home minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted as saying that the government had acknowledged the wishes of Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail for the Wang Kelian Free Flow Zone to be reopened.