Kedah agrees with 24-hour operation at Bukit Kayu Hitam

ALOR STAR: The state government has in principle agreed with the federal government to extend operations at the border checkpoint at Bukit Kayu Hitam to 24 hours from 18 presently.
Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah said at the State Legislative Assembly here today, that the government had scrutinised all the relevant issues particularly security.
He said agencies at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at Bukit Kayu Hitam were fully aware and would not compromise on the issue of security.
The extension, he said, was also to encourage foreign visitor arrival and reduce traffic congestion at the CIQ complex during peak hours.
"The Prime Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister as Home Minister gave their nod to the move at the Mentri Besar and Chief Ministers' Meeting," he said in response to Datuk Ahmad Zaini Jaapar (BN-Bukit Kayu Hitam).
Ahmad Bashah said the round-the-clock operation should not just be seen from the negative perspective but also its socio-economic benefit to Kedah particularly through the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Triangle.
"We can earn profit from transportation (charges and so on), especially vehicles from Thailand that carry agricultural goods, vegetables and fruits into the country," he said.
He said the 24-hour proposal once materialised, would spur Bukit Kayu Hitam's growth as an industrial area, particularly in view of the state government's plan to establish a 6,000-acre as a tax-free zone.
"The private sector also owns land there and we will combine our resources to build facilities to woo visitors such as those from Thailand.
"They will be able to come any time because we have hotels, houses, and shopping complexes and the money spent by the visitors will flow into the new area," he added. — Bernama