Malaysia cracks down on arms smuggling from Thailand

Malaysia is seeking to tighten its boarder security with Thailand to reduce arms smuggling which has contributed to a rise in crime rates in the country. Minister of Interior Hishammuddin Hussein said, "The frequency of access, busy traffic and high economic interaction between people at the Malaysia-Thailand border provides opportunities for smuggling activities" "From January 2010 to August 2012, up to 202 cases of robberies used unlicensed guns and almost 130 murder cases were reported, he added. He said, "During the same period, about 435 weapons police successfully seized". The rising unrest marked with daily explosions in south Thailans is causing great worries to the Malaysian authorities, forcing the two sides to build a 650-kilometer wall along parts of their borders in 2004 The Thai and Malaysian military are conducting joint patrols to safeguard their borders.