KL troops boost security on border

KL troops boost security on border

MALAYSIA: Malaysian soldiers have stepped up patrols along the
country's long, porous border with Thailand to prevent weapons
smuggling and illegal immigration, the military said on Thursday.

Officials have been increasingly concerned that Malaysia might
be used as a transit point for arms smuggling after gunmen stole
automatic rifles from two military outposts in southern Thailand
in April, Brig. Gen. Sunar Morlin, commander of the Sixth
Infantry Brigade in northern Malaysia said.

Thailand's deep south, which neighbors peninsular Malaysia's
northern states, has long been plagued by violence from armed
gangs, some of whom claim to be Muslim separatists. Others engage
in criminal extortion.

Malaysian troops patrolling the Thai border have detained
scores of illegal immigrants from Myanmar and some rice smugglers
in recent months, but no suspected weapons traders. --AP