SECOND SUSPECT IN SUNGAI GOLOK SHOOTING HAS DUAL CITIZENSHIP - KELANTAN POLICE

MACHANG, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- Police have confirmed that the second suspect in the case of a Malaysian man shot dead in the town of Sungai Golok on Nov 1, has dual citizenship.

Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said so far no arrests have been made and the suspect is still wanted by Thai authorities.

"According to information, the suspect is still being sought by Thai police and we are also cooperating with them to help track down the suspect here," he said at the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Machang Campus.

Bernama previously reported that Thai police were tracking down another (younger) suspect in the Golok fatal shooting incident.

Narathiwat Provincial police chief Maj Gen Prayong Kotsakha reportedly said the suspect was identified as Salip Samae, 27, a local resident of the town. Salip is the younger brother of another suspect, Alif Samae, 31, who surrendered to Thai police on Nov 2 while two pistols were seized.

Meanwhile, Mohd Yusoff stressed that there is no such thing as "raising hands" to wave through the Malaysia-Thailand border checkpoint, including for dignitaries.

"To pass through the border gate in Malaysia, a valid travel document or border pass is required even if they are dignitaries. The governor's card they allegedly possess is only valid for use in Thailand, not in Malaysia. The 'wave through' tactic seems to have been a past tradition, that's why I detained them so that this practice has been stopped," he said.

He added that past experiences showed the dangers of the wave-through.

"In Penang, our members who used the 'raising hands' method were eventually exposed when they brought in grenades, rifles and pistols to sell. That's why 'raising hands' is very dangerous because they are confident that they will not be checked by the authorities," he said.

Mohd Yusoff said the case of eight individuals including two women detained last Tuesday for entering Kelantan without valid documents through the Rantau Panjang Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex (ICQS) is now awaiting further instructions from the deputy public prosecutor.

On Nov 7, police detained eight people after entering Kelantan without valid documents through the Rantau Panjang ICQS and all of them were arrested in two cars by members of the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) who were on duty at the complex while travelling from Sungai Golok, Thailand, to enter Kelantan at 5.30pm.

-- BERNAMA