A recent Bernama article highlighted something that many Malaysians have worried about for years – that firearms are quite easily smuggled into the country.
The report quoted a reformed underworld operative who claimed to have smuggled hand guns, air rifles and various other contraband from Thailand through the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint. According to him, all a firearms smuggler has to do to keep safe is follow a set of rules: dismantle the weapons, act cool and be friendly, always move about in a group and drive a family car.
He said customs officers stationed at the checkpoint would check someone only if he acted in a suspicious manner. There are no metal detectors or x-ray equipment to screen the vehicles.
According to him, guns are cheap in Thailand, with a semi-automatics going for about RM2,500. High-end ones would sell for between RM8,000 and RM10,000. Bullets costs less than RM100 for 50 rounds.
He also said one could bribe government officers to carry contraband across.
Every time a case of shooting or human trafficking is highlighted in the media, we get the authorities blaming the porous border up north. They say the border is 700km long, making it impossible to monitor it round the clock.
The question is, what has been done about the problem? What is the progress on the plan to collaborate with Thailand to build a wall along the border, as announced last year?
If firearms and people can be smuggled through the checkpoints, what about the hundreds of rat trails that run through the border? How many hundreds, if not thousands, of firearms – and, of course, people – have been brought into the country through these trails over the years?
How long will it be before Islamic State (IS) terrorists start entering the country by hitching rides in family cars or taxis driven by familiar faces?
The poor security allows not only guns but also hired killers to go through our border. If they can come in easily, they can also go out easily after carrying out their hits.
The authorities had better strive to immediately address the problem of the border’s porousness before more guns or bombs enter the country.
The same sense or urgency should also apply to our maritime borders in East Malaysia. It’s time we learned from dark episodes like the Lahad Datu incursion and the discovery of the Wang Kelian human trafficking camps.