Malaysia Approves RM1.5 Billion Border Wall with Thailand

Malaysia Allocates RM1.5 Billion (US$318 Million) for Security Wall on Thailand Border

Mohd Hanif Ismail - : Oct 22, 2025 - : 11:49 am

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Malaysia has approved an allocation of RM1.5 billion (approximately US$318 million) for the construction of a security wall along its border with Thailand, marking a significant development in regional defence infrastructure and cross-border security strategy. The funding was announced on 21 October and covers the stretch from Tumpat to Tanah Merah in the northeastern state of Kelantan, confronting the narrow and shallow waters of the Sungai Golok river that form part of the land-boundary with Thailand.

According to a statement by Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat, the allocation was conveyed by the National Security Council (NSC) and accompanies a site visit to the border by the Chief Secretary to the Government. The wall is described as a “dual-purpose” structure: not only aimed at curbing smuggling and cross-border crime but also designed to function as a flood barrier for the region. The original report appeared in a Malaysian media outlet.

The Malaysia-Thailand land border runs approximately 595 km and traverses multiple states in the Malay Peninsula. For Malaysia, the decision to erect a wall in Kelantan underscores a broader regional priority: strengthening border infrastructure in Southeast Asia’s evolving security environment. In particular, the wall addresses challenges specific to the Asia-Pacific region such as cross-border smuggling, irregular migration, and the transnational threat environment emerging in nearby southern Thailand. The ASEAN member states, including Malaysia and Thailand, have increasingly emphasised securing land borders alongside maritime approaches.

The project opens opportunities in secure-infrastructure construction, surveillance systems, and integrated border-security technology deployment. The combination of physical barrier, surveillance tech (including drones and AI-enabled cameras) and hydrological flood-control design reflects a convergence of defence, civil-engineering and environmental risk-mitigation sectors. As noted by the Kelantan police chief, the narrow, shallow Sungai Golok terrain has diminished the efficacy of conventional surveillance alone — reinforcing the need for a hardened physical component backed by advanced sensor systems.