Thai and Malaysian residents celebrate the extension of opening hours at three border checkpoints in Narathiwat Province, boosting the border economy, trade, and tourism.
At 05:00 on 15 March 2026, at the Su-ngai Kolok border checkpoint in Su-ngai Kolok District, Narathiwat Province, Mr. Chakrit Suranathakul, Deputy Governor of Narathiwat, inspected the readiness and smooth operation of the Su-ngai Kolok border checkpoint connecting to the Rantau Panjang checkpoint in Kelantan State, Malaysia. Narathiwat Province had sent a letter to Thailand's Ministry of Interior and coordinated through the Consulate General in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia, to request the Malaysian government to consider restoring the border opening time to 06:00 Malaysian time, equivalent to 05:00 Thai time, which was the schedule before the COVID-19 outbreak around late 2019.
Recently, Malaysia's Ministry of Interior approved this proposal, agreeing to open the Rantau Panjang checkpoint opposite Su-ngai Kolok, the Pengkalan Kubor checkpoint opposite Tak Bai District, and the Bukit Bunga checkpoint opposite Waeng District at 06:00 Malaysian time, which corresponds to 05:00 Thai time. This new schedule takes effect from today onward.
All three border checkpoints will open simultaneously at 05:00 Thai time. However, Su-ngai Kolok checkpoint will close at 21:00, while the Tak Bai and Bukit Bunga checkpoints will close at 18:00 daily, starting today.
Mr. Supiyan Damolen, Su-ngai Kolok District Chief, Police Colonel Plusak Kaewsiao, Superintendent of Narathiwat Immigration Police, customs officials at Su-ngai Kolok checkpoint, and the Deputy Mayor of Su-ngai Kolok welcomed visitors to facilitate travel for residents and tourists who learned of the news and flocked to cross the border. This has greatly pleased both Thai and Malaysian communities and marks an important step in strengthening Thai-Malaysian relations, especially by boosting the economy and improving the livelihoods of people in the border areas swiftly.