29 Students Above 10 Years Can Be Charged For Illegally Crossing Border - Kelantan Police Chief

KOTA BHARU, April 14 (Bernama) -- Twenty-nine secondary school students and primary school students above 10 years old arrested for illegally crossing the border in Rantau Panjang two days ago can be charged in court, Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said.

Legal action against the 29 of 34 students would be up to the prosecutors as the police only conducted the arrests and investigations, he said.

“For now, they have been released on police bail after their statements were taken and the investigation papers will be handed to the prosecution for further action.

“Even though the action can be viewed as stern as it involves students, we cannot compromise with any violation of the law and national security,” he said told the media after the Kelantan contingent police headquarters monthly gathering here today.

He also explained the need for strict enforcement as there were irresponsible parties who had previously used school students as drug mules.

He added that the authorities had done their best to facilitate the students’ crossings through legal routes, including preparing various facilities, including dormitories, and opening the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complexes early.

Investigations also revealed that illegal border crossings were popular due to the lower costs involved in boat crossings, about RM4 compared to RM10 through legal routes, he added.

-- BERNAMA