A Perlis exco member wants the free flow zone at Wang Kelian to be reopened to revive trade in the area. – filepic
PADANG BESAR: The Perlis government wants Putrajaya to consider extending operations at the border gates at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex in Padang Besar and Wang Kelian by two hours.
State infrastructure, transport and border relations committee chairman Izizam Ibrahim said the Perlis government hoped that operations at the Padang Besar ICQS could be extended until midnight from 10pm at present, and the ICQS in Wang Kelian to operate until 9pm from the current 7pm.
"This is to provide economic opportunities for residents, enabling them to enhance their income if the operating hours are extended by two hours," he told reporters after meeting representatives of the Thai Home Ministry at the Wang Kelian-Wang Prachan border gate near here Monday (Dec 23).
Izizam also urged the Federal Government to expedite the reopening of the free flow zone at Wang Kelian, which has remained closed since April 1, 2015, to rejuvenate economic activities and tourism in the area.
He explained that the prolonged closure has left the Wang Kelian Shopping Arcade deserted, with little to no business activity.
Traders are struggling to sustain their operations owing to the lack of visitors to the arcade, he said.
Izizam said the state government is confident that security control at the border in Perlis is improving, with strict control by both Customs and Immigration.
The free flow zone at Wang Kelian was closed following the discovery of a temporary settlement and a mass grave containing the bodies of human trafficking victims at Bukit Wang Burma near here. – Bernama
