JITRA: The opening of the border for 24 hours at the Bukit Kayu Hitam Customs, Immigration and Quarantiney (CIQ) Complex will intensify trade activities and contribute to the development of the logistics industry in Kedah.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Mahathir said although its implementation only involved the addition of six hours compared to the present 18, the move would provide unlimited time to conduct business between Malaysia and Thailand.
“At present, we are operating 18 hours daily but when we open for 24 hours this would mean more business opportunities for the traders.
“We hope to turn Bukit Kayu Hitam into an inland port, so with the bustling business going on we will be able to develop the logistics industry,” he told reporters at the Sayangi Eko Bukit Wang programme here today.
The Bukit Kayu Hitam border gate currently opened from 6am to 12 midnight will open 24 hours beginning April 1.
Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the opening of the Malaysia-Thailand border for 24 hours would allow security to be streamlined and border connectivity to be improved to facilitate movement of goods at the border.
Elaborating Mukhriz said the development of the Special Border Economy Zone (SBEZ) and the Kedah Science and Technology Park (KSTP) would contribute to the development of the Bukit Kayu Hitam area as a logistics hub.
“As a step to that direction, we will build a truck depot in the area with the RM25 million allocation from the Ministry of Finance as mentioned previously in Budget 2019,” he said. — Bernama
