Options include 500m corridor with watchtowers, and technology-driven border surveillance systems
PETALING JAYA: Security analysts are divided over whether the government should establish a 500m security corridor with physical barriers along Sungai Golok or adopt a targeted, technology-based approach, following the government’s approval of a RM1.5 billion allocation to strengthen border control in the area.
Universiti Utara Malaysia border defence researcher Assoc Prof Dr Mohammad Faisol Keling told theSun: “It is time for the government to construct a barrier and clear a 500m stretch along the Sungai Golok riverbank to serve as a dedicated security corridor, where multiple observation towers can be built along the entire route.
“Smuggling activities are like a game of ‘cat and mouse’.
The mouse is more active in areas covered by bushes and thick vegetation, whereas in open, well-lit areas, it is easier for the cat to catch it.
“Likewise, when the government builds more watchtowers, the clearer terrain forces movement into visible spaces, allowing enforcement agencies to observe and respond more effectively.”
He said illegal jetties, informal landing points and dense riverbank settlements currently enable smugglers to operate with minimal visibility.
Faisol added that long-standing smuggling activities persist partly because they have become a source of income for certain communities, particularly on the Thai side of the border.
“The issue of border intrusion and cross-border crime along the Malaysia-Thailand frontier must be addressed urgently, as it has persisted for too long.
“If we continue to be lenient simply because some local communities depend on these activities for income, the country loses far greater amounts, running into millions of ringgit every day, from illegal cross-border smuggling.
“And this does not yet include the trafficking of firearms, drugs and other prohibited items,” he said.
Faisol also commended the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency for its strict stance, under which officers found to be involved in or facilitating border breaches are immediately dismissed.
“With this, we will not lack honest personnel.
Immediate dismissal ensures that only those who are responsible and trustworthy remain on the frontline,” he said.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Mara border security analyst Dr Mohd Ramlan Mohd Arshad cautioned that such a large-scale corridor project could exceed the current RM1.5 billion allocation.
“The construction of a 300km wall with an allocation of RM1.5 billion is an idealistic initiative but not a realistic one.
“With that budget, the cost per kilometre is roughly RM5 million,” Ramlan said.
He added that the Sungai Golok riverbank is not a uniform landscape, comprising soft soil stretches, seasonal floodplains and eroded banks, with some homes and small settlements built along the edge.
“This amount may be sufficient for barbed-wire fencing, but not for a solid concrete wall, especially when factoring in land acquisition, design requirements and maintenance in swampy and winding areas,” he added.
Ramlan instead proposed identifying specific high-risk crossing zones, estimated at 50km to 70km, and implementing hybrid security measures combining physical fencing with technology-supported detection systems.
“This means deploying a hybrid physical and technology-based security system, not merely a continuous concrete wall.
“For example, barbed-wire fencing equipped with motion sensors, heat detectors and night-vision cameras linked to a central control centre, as well as electrified fencing powered by solar systems.
“In addition, permanent watchtowers at strategic locations with infrared scanners, high-capacity drones for automated surveillance, and the use of artificial intelligence for real-time data analysis should be strengthened,” he said.
The debate on the Sungai Golok security corridor has gained renewed attention following the fatal shooting of Malaysian Mohd Fuad Fahmie, 33, in Kampung Bering on Nov 3.
