Sadao – Bukit Kayu Hitam crossing checkpoint
Border town suffers as Malaysians bypass old checkpoint
Business down as much as 80% in Dan Nok in Songkhla since new checkpoint opened 1km away
BangkokPost | 4 Aug 2026 WRITER: Assawin Pakkawan
SONGKHLA – The Thai border town that hosts an old — and still operational — border checkpoint with Malaysia has seen business fall off sharply since a new checkpoint opened just a kilometre away.
Dan Nok has turned from a place where Malaysian visitors stopped to shop and spend to a place they bypass, according to Natcha Tiew, president of the Dan Nok Business Association.
Shops, restaurants, hotels and other businesses in the town have been affected since the second, bigger checkpoint linking Sadao district with Kedah state in Malaysia opened last month, she said.
The new checkpoint has been operational since July 11, after an official opening ceremony by the Thai and Malaysian prime ministers a day earlier.
Trucks are required to use the new crossing, which was created in order to reduce bottlenecks at the smaller Dan Nok checkpoint. Buses and cars are strongly encouraged to continue using Dan Nok, but this has not turned out to be the case.
As a result, businesses in Dan Nok are reporting declines of up to 80% in earnings since the opening of the new checkpoint, said Ms Natcha.
She blamed understaffing at the old checkpoint, which results in traffic congestion, especially during long weekends when Malaysians travel to Hat Yai city.
When Malaysian drivers see a long line of vehicles waiting at the old checkpoint, they make a U-turn to use the new one, she said.
Malaysian drivers normally stopped for meals and other breaks before or after passing the old Sadao checkpoint. Many stayed overnight there for entertainment and other activities, instead of going to Hat Yai district.
With the new crossing now available, Dan Nok is no longer on their itinerary because it is not on the new road to the new checkpoint.
Sitthipong Sitthiphataraprabha, president of the Hat Yai Songkhla Hotels Association, admitted business activity was declining in the border town.
He called for more personnel to be stationed at the old checkpoint to handle vehicles from and to Malaysia, instead of concentrating only at the new crossing.
Sadao crossing upgrades to drive growth
MSN | Story by Assawin Pakkawan 02-Aug-2026
SONGKHLA: The Sadao Border Checkpoint is again set to handle more than six million travellers this year as authorities seek to expand cross-border trade and improve links with Malaysia, visiting senators said.
Senator Pratuang Montri, president of the Lower South Senators’ Visit Project Committee, and his delegate recently inspected the checkpoint in Songkhla.
During the visit, representatives of a vendor group from Tambon Samnak Kham Municipality submitted a petition to the Senate delegation, urging consideration of an economic stimulus plan for the area around the old checkpoint building. They argued the plan would boost local revenue by attracting more tourists to the area.
Mr Pratuang pledged to use the Senate committee mechanism to monitor the progress of budget allocations for the checkpoint in coordination with the cabinet to address operational delays at both customs and border checkpoints.
Located between Sadao district and the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in Kedah, Malaysia, the Sadao Border Checkpoint is regarded as the country’s most prominent land crossing, generating the highest import value among all border checkpoints.
The Songkhla Provincial Administration says services at the Sadao Border Checkpoint cover customs, transport, and border trade, with at least 6.4 million commuters, 800,000 personal cars, and 500,000 trucks crossing annually over the past three years.
For this fiscal year, the checkpoint has recorded more than 4.2 million commuters since last October, with the annual figure projected to exceed six million by year’s end.
As of now, the Sadao Border Checkpoint operates primarily from a new building, where services have been enhanced through modern technology and upgraded facilities to improve efficiency.
These include the new cargo terminal for logistics trucks, a CIQ passenger terminal building, and immigration checkpoint lanes for personal cars, 11 for outbound and 14 for inbound traffic.
The checkpoint also offers an X-ray machine, a contactless body scanner, and another facility for commuters.
The Songkhla Provincial Administration is advancing a project to build a road linking the new Sadao Border Checkpoint building with the surrounding community, shortening travel by five kilometres. The administration is also set to redesignate a U-turn point in front of the CIQ Passenger Terminal to ensure commuters’ safety while reducing service redundancy.
New Sadao Checkpoint Opens to Boost Thai-Malaysia Trade
Malaysia-Thailand road link nears completion, to boost trade and ties
11-Feb-2025 | TheStar
The Malaysia-Thailand road alignment project linking the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) complex with the Sadao Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
The Consul General of Malaysia in Songkhla, Ahmad Fahmi Ahmad Sarkawi, said the construction of a new CIQ complex on Thailand’s side had already been completed a few years ago.
However, Ahmad Fahmi noted that the road alignment connecting to the new Thai CIQ complex could not be finalised earlier due to several technical obstacles that caused delays.
“When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took office, he issued a directive and actively pushed for the project’s resumption. After overcoming these technical issues, the project resumed in 2023 and is now scheduled for completion by July or August this year,” he told Bernama during a recent interview at the Consulate General of Malaysia in Songkhla, Thailand.
Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the RM141.6 million project, which began following site possession in June last year, has reached 47 per cent physical progress and is scheduled to be completed by September.- NSTP/WAN NABIL NASIR
He expressed hope that the project would begin operations by the end of 2025, bringing significant benefits to both nations.
Meanwhile, regarding the construction of a second bridge connecting Rantau Panjang in Kelantan with Sungai Golok in Narathiwat, Ahmad Fahmi said the project is in its final phase of addressing technical details before construction can commence.
“Building a bridge is far more complex than constructing a road, as it requires meticulous attention to safety and security details. I was informed that the project is currently in its final stage of resolving technical aspects, and once this is completed, construction will begin,” he said, adding that the project remains on schedule.
Ahmad Fahmi highlighted that the completion and operation of these two projects would significantly benefit both Malaysia and Thailand, enhancing trade volumes and boosting the tourism industry for both countries.
He also mentioned Thailand’s plans to upgrade the Thai CIQ facilities in Wang Kelian and Padang Besar, further improving cross-border connectivity.
In 2023, Thailand was Malaysia’s sixth largest trading partner globally and second largest among the Asean Member States, with total trade valued at US$24.83bil (RM113.16bil). – Bernama
New road linking Bukit Kayu Hitam-Sadao border checkpoints to be ready soon
By Adie Zulkifli / NST – November 28, 2023
The new road initiative linking Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) and Sadao ICQS in southern Thailand is expected to be ready soon.
Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi says the ministry is confident that with the construction of the new road. – NSTP file pic
Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said this following the work visit by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to Sadao ICQS yesterday under the invitation from the latter’s counterpart Srettha Thavisin.
“The governments of Malaysia and Thailand have reached a fundamental agreement over the design alignment and related technical issue, so that this project will be rolled out to ensure that the connectivity between both countries could be improved.
“The network of this connecting road comprised a two-way six-lane main road (K3-3) spanning 900 metres with U5 standard and a 300-metre service road,” he said in a statement today.
He said that the project will also involve land acquisition, the demolition and building Border Regiment Camp Quarters Block (5RS) and several security structures such as Final Security Post and Security Gates affected by the road alignment.
“The Works Ministry is confident that with the construction of the new road, the comfort and the safety of the road users will be improved inline with MyJalan Campaign aspiration.
“At the same time, this new road is expected to spur economic activities in both countries,” he said.
Yesterday, Anwar announced that Malaysia and Thailand have agreed to resolve pending issues at the border checkpoints in Sadao and Bukit Kayu Hitam in the next two weeks.
He was reported as saying that the matter was agreed during a bilateral meeting with his counterpart Srettha Thavisin in Sadao yesterday.
Anwar added that both countries have agreed to set the time frame in order to resolve the pending issues in order to improve the traffic flow at the border checkpoints.
Border road project to be sped up
By N. TRISHA, 28-Nov-2023 | The Star
Anwar discusses connectivity and bilateral cooperation with Thai PM
BUKIT KAYU HITAM: Efforts are being made to speed up the road alignment project connecting the checkpoints of Malaysia-Thailand border, with a final decision in two weeks.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the project, linking the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) checkpoint and the Sadao Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex, was vital in ensuring faster and more comfortable traffic flow on both sides.
“The alignment project has been delayed and must be done immediately. It took some time because it involved military areas.
“Within two weeks we will make a final decision to iron out the matter,” he told a press conference at the Bukit Kayu Hitam ICQS Complex yesterday.
Anwar was on a one-day working trip to Thailand at the invitation of his Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin.
The visit, among others, was aimed at reviewing the progress of the road alignment project.
Hatyai, a city located near the Thai-Malaysian border, has always been the travel destination of choice for many Malaysians, especially during school and public holidays.
Following the re-opening of the Thailand-Malaysia border on April 1 last year, the influx of tourists has increased and the city of Hatyai is coming back to life after a two-year break due to the pandemic.
In the first eight months of last year, Thailand recorded more than 4.6 million international tourist arrivals, with Malaysians making up the bulk of the number with 647,648 people.
Enhancing travel: The newly built Sadao CIQ Complex. Once the road alignment project is completed, Malaysians and Thais will be able to travel comfortably and faster between checkpoints. — Bernama
Both Anwar and Srettha also engaged in a closed door meeting followed by a lunch hosted by the latter in honour of Anwar’s visit.
Anwar said there was clear commitment from Thailand towards enhancing bilateral relations with Malaysia.
“He (Srettha) is committed to enhancing bilateral relations within the two countries. He is a good friend and he is committed to this relationship.
“We will focus on speeding up the construction of the connectivity projects at the border which is aimed at promoting business and improving the well-being of the people.
“Things cannot be delayed anymore as we want to have growth which include the tourism sector as well. He (Srettha) was concerned that the number of tourists from Malaysia to Thailand was far more than from Thailand to Malaysia.
“He has instructed their Tourism Minister to meet ours, so both can gain from each other.
“This will create synergy and increase tourist arrivals in both countries like in the southern part of Thailand, Langkawi, Kedah, Perlis, and Penang,” he said.
Anwar said Srettha went into detail about his plans and suggestions, even going as far as to say that Phuket has done well on an international level.
“He asked his tourism minister to share ideas that can be implemented in Langkawi for a similar synergy to be created.
“This is rare of someone who wants to offer his experience and expertise.
“We will share our insight with him and he will share his with us which will have a positive impact on both countries,” he said.
Anwar said discussions on all issues related to bilateral relations during the meeting would be prepared within two weeks, and all the meeting notes would be shared with the Thai authorities for feedback.
“I have given two weeks to complete and make final decisions on all issues and plans which have not been resolved in the past. If some of them cannot be resolved in the next two weeks, the latest will be at the end of February 2024,” he said.