WITH the recent long weekend leading up to Malaysia Day, combined with the school holidays, many Malaysians had one thing on their minds: a nice and relaxing getaway.
However, for those opting to travel by road—whether domestically or across the border—traffic jams, one of the most frustrating aspects of travelling, were unfortunately inevitable.
As many Malaysians flocked to Thailand during this time, it was recently reported that over 500 vehicles were stranded at the Sadao checkpoint, marking it as the worst traffic congestion in the checkpoint’s history, affecting thousands of travellers.
According to Thai news portal Hatyai Focus, the congestion began around noon on Monday (September 15) and persisted for over 12 hours, with a queue of vehicles stretching more than three kilometres at the Sadao border checkpoint.
The situation was further worsened by the closure of the Bukit Kayu Hitam border checkpoint at 11pm.
While Thai authorities attempted to ease the congestion, the situation descended into chaos as some vehicles, having already cleared Thai immigration, were forced to return to the Sadao checkpoint due to the Malaysian side being closed.
Most tourists were left with little choice but to sleep in their vehicles, while others sought accommodation in nearby tourist areas to wait for the checkpoint to reopen on Tuesday (September 16).
Several tourists noted that they had never experienced such long delays, despite being frequent visitors to Thailand.
Just a day earlier, on Sunday, the Bukit Kayu Hitam border checkpoint had recorded an influx of 17,000 individuals, mostly Malaysian tourists, entering Thailand for the long weekend.
Bukit Kayu Hitam Border Control and Protection Agency commander, SAC Mohd Nasaruddin M. Nasir, confirmed that traffic congestion is expected to continue until September 21.