Luring Tourists With The Great Malaysia-Thai Wall

By Adnan Jahaya KANGAR (Perlis, Malaysia), March 3 (Bernama) -- With undulating limestone hills, panoramic paddy fields and clear lakes in the background, Malaysia's northernmost state of Perlis has all that a visitor yearns for. The ancient limestone cave formation of Gua Kelam, vineyard in Batu Pahat and the Al-Hussain Floating Mosque in Kuala Perlis are among the many added attractions that lure visitors here. As Perlis adjoins Malaysia's northern neighbour Thailand, it also serves as the transit point to Satun and Songkhla provinces on the other side. The border between both countries is demarcated by a wall that is 2.4 meter in height and covers a distance of 20.9 kilometer from Bukit Batu Puteh to Padang Besar built in the 1990s to deter illegal crossings and smuggling. Though the dividing wall may not seem people friendly and appear monotonous, there are some who feel that this national security asset could be made visitor friendly. A WALL THAT SECURES THE BRODER Some are sceptical over the idea as they feel that there is nothing interesting with the wall that is constantly monitored by the security personnel and it is not a wall of interest like the Berlin Wall and the Great Wall of China. However, one should not forget that hundreds if not thousands of people who literally go through the wall at the checkpoints in Padang Besar and Wang Kelian daily. Many will like to see the wall especially near the checkpoints made people friendly. Currently the wall is considered a security zone and therefore is off limits to ordinary people. Among those who share this view is the Crown Prince of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail. Tuanku Syed Faizuddin hitherto has contributed many ideas to develop Perlis' tourism sector through promotional activities within and without the country. THE BORDER LANDMARK He hoped that efforts would be taken to promote the walls that define and protect the nation's borders as a tourist attraction. "Maybe a stopover spot could be created close to the walls to enable visitors to snap photos," he said during a cycling retreat in Padang Besar recently. If the walls remain off limits to visitors, maybe a replica could be built at a strategic location to enable visitors to Perlis snap pictures. Tuanku Syed Faizuddin also shared his experience on his visit to the Berlin Wall in Germany at the end of 2013 where the remnants of the wall has been turned into a tourist attraction. The Berlin wall that was erected in 1961 served as a physical divider between East and West Germany for 28 years before being brought down in 1989 when Communism collapsed. Visitors to Berlin take the opportunity to snap pictures of the remaining wall as a perfect memento to take back. Tuanku Syed Faizuddin is confident that the wall that defines the Malaysia-Thai border will help pull tourists to Perlis. THE BORDER FOR VISITORS However, the idea of opening the border walls to visitors was first mooted by former Perlis Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) Shahidan Kassim back in 1999. As for Shahidan, now the minister in the prime minister's department, the concrete wall can be capitalised to lure in the tourist from both sides. However, his proposal failed to see the light of the day due to security concerns. A visitor from Penang state, Norhisham Said, 34, admitted he was impressed with the border wall that came into view when passing through the Wang Kelian checkpoint. "However, the listless wall must be injected with life," said the businessman to Bernama. MURALS AT THE WALL? And like what Norhisham wanted to see, the wall at the Padang Besar checkpoint has now been painted with colours and murals captivating visitors. A public sector employee Zaonah Hamisan, 36, from southern state Johor who visited Padang Besar did not waste the opportunity to snap a few pictures with the colourful wall as the backdrop. Thus the Malaysia-Thai wall is slowly becoming a visitor friendly edifice that is set to add to the list of tourist attractions in Perlis. --BERNAMA