“It is not really the right time to reopen Wang Kelian because of security problems,” he said, pointing out that in the past, the area was plagued by “human trafficking and other issues”.
Shahidan was speaking to reporters after officiating the Civil Defence Emergency Response Team (CDERT-Better Nation) logo and officers’ appointment ceremony at the Putra World Trade Centre today.
However, on his part, as the Perlis Umno liaison chief, Shahidan said he would appeal to the home ministry to reopen the ZAB, although he admitted the government had the final say.
“Security issues cannot be tolerated. We must be patient.”
The Sun reported that the Free Flow Zone used to facilitate the free movement of the people of both countries to enter each other’s territory within a distance of 1km from the border gates.
This was to allow for the popular “pasar minggu” (weekend market) held on Saturdays and Sundays at Wang Kelian and Wang Prachan in Thailand.
It reported that the cancellation of the ZAB had affected businesses and tourism in the small town of Wang Kelian. About 10,000 people used to attend the market on weekends.
“I know it’s hard for traders in Perlis, but we have no choice,” Shahidan said.
In May last year, police stumbled upon the graves with 106 skeletal remains, believed to be those of ethnic Rohingyas, 139 graves and 28 human trafficking camps in Wang Kelian.
The discovery led to the arrests of 12 policemen allegedly linked to human traffickers at the Malaysia-Thailand border.
Four of them were arrested by police, while the other eight were detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in May 28 last year.