KUALA LUMPUR – Cross-border movement at the Rantau Panjang Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security (ICQS) Complex has slowed to a crawl following a spate of bombings, shootings, and arson across three southern Thai provinces.
The sharp drop in traffic comes in the wake of 51 coordinated attacks that rocked Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala last Saturday, prompting security warnings and a nightly curfew in Narathiwat from 10:15 PM to 5:00 AM.
Rantau Panjang Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) Commander Siti Khadijah Hamzah confirmed the drop in travel volume, noting that 3,298 incoming and 2,969 outgoing movements were recorded between Saturday and Monday.
Crossings peaked on Saturday before sharply falling off as news of the violence spread.
“Outgoing movements, meanwhile, were recorded at 1,696 on Saturday and decreased to 1,273 on Sunday and Monday,” Siti Khadijah said.
Incoming traffic similarly plummeted from 2,068 on Saturday to a combined 1,230 across Sunday and Monday.
The usually bustling border post, known for kilometer-long queues and up to 5,000 daily travelers during weekends and holidays, now sits largely deserted. Vacationers, shoppers, and families visiting relatives have put their travel plans on hold.
The impacts of the violence were felt directly across the border. Loud explosions in Narathiwat rattled homes in nearby Malaysian border villages, including Kampung Lubok Gong and Kampung Tersang, causing widespread anxiety among local residents.
The flare-up is rooted in a long-standing separatist conflict in Thailand’s predominantly Malay-Muslim “Deep South” provinces.
Tensions stem from decades of resistance by local insurgent groups—most prominently the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN)—against central Thai rule, compounded by recent friction surrounding fragile peace negotiations between Bangkok and regional rebel factions. – August 26, 2026