Young Malaysians sneaking into Thailand for wild nights out

Young Malaysians looking for a wild night out are sneaking illegally across the border into Narathiwat’s Sungai Kolok district, according to the police chief of Malaysia’s adjoining Kelantan state.
 
Police chief Mohd Yusoff Maman said young Malaysians leave their vehicles at Rantau Panjang and illegally cross the Kolok River, which delineates the frontier, into Thailand to enjoy the nightlife, Bernama news agency reported.
He did not say exactly where they were entering Thailand. However Rantau Panjang is a Malaysian border town opposite Sungai Kolok district. 
Sungai Kolok bustles on weekends when visitors from Malaysia spend time and money in its nightclubs and other entertainment venues.
“Most of these youngsters go to Thailand on Thursday evening and return to Kelantan by Saturday,” he said.
The Kelantan police chief was speaking at a press conference about the arrest of six young Malaysians at a hotel in Sungai Kolok on Friday and  seizure of 6,060 methamphetamine tablets. They denied possessing the drugs with intent to sell, but they tested positive for drug use, according to a police source. They are aged 25 to 34 years.
The case caught public attention in Malaysia as a member in the group is Wan Norshaheeda Azlin Binti Wan Ismail, 29, a hugely popular singer known as Eda Ezrin in the Malaysian music world. Malaysian media say she is a dikir barat singer.
The National Library Board of Singapore defines dikir barat as a style of Malay choral singing popular in Malaysia and Singapore.
A police source said all were charged with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and using the illicit drug. Two of them were also charged with illegal entry. All were taken to the Narathiwat Provincial Court on Monday, where police obtained permission to further detain them.
Pol Lt Col Hafit Madasin, chief interrogator of Sungai Kolok police, said on Tuesday the suspects would be questioned again at the prison and then the case file would be sent to prosecutors for indictment, Thairath Online reported.
The Kelantan police chief said on Tuesday he had proposed that the state’s chief minister build a wall along the Kolok riverbank opposite Sungai Kolok, to curb cross-border crime. It would also serve as a flood barrier, according to Bernama.