'Smuggler' Trails Along The Border
By Syed Rory Malai Hassan

Bandar Seri Begawan - Dozens of mouse trails have been found dotting the length of the 35km border between Brunei Darussalam and Limbang of Malaysia, used by people who, inadvertently or otherwise, "smuggled" goods between the two countries on a regular basis.

A forest ranger said yesterday that some of the "smuggling" activities were carried out by residents who crossed the border daily for various reasons, such as sending their children to school either in Brunei territory or in Limbang. This practice is so common place that residents could easily get by without getting stopped, the forest ranger said.

Identified only as Awi, the forest ranger and a colleague were going on their regular rounds in one of the areas when they discovered tyre tracks made by motorcycles leading into the bushes. Following the trail, the forest rangers, at about loam, found six gallons of petrol left behind by people they had yet to identify.

The trail itself led straight into Limbang crossing the invisible border line.

Awi said border crossings on foot or motorbike through many of the mouse trails along the border was a regular occurrence for residents living close by. Some had farms on the other side; while others had family members just across from them and walking over to the other side has already become a routine practice.

He added that some who were already used to doing this sometimes took advantage of it and brought in food supplies and other items. Some even went to the extent of bringing in more than what they needed on a daily basis and selling it off to make a quick profit.

Some of the goods normally brought across included chicken, meat, petrol, alcohol, livestock and other daily necessities. He said he has seen some people bringing over live cattle and buffaloes to sell at a much higher price than what they could get normally.

Yesterday's discovery, according to the forest rangers, was the second such incident this year so far. The first' one was only late last month when two gallons were discovered just a few hundred metres from where the discovery was made yesterday.

Since the previous trail was flooded by the recent heavy rains, "smugglers" had started using a different trail to go in and out of the countries.

Awi said their patrols covered a distance of approximately 40 kilometres. Along this invisible line separating the two countries, they have discovered over 50 known mouse trails. He added that the exact number of trails was unknown as new ones always appeared once the old ones were discovered and checked.

"This is what normally happens when there is no proper definition of the border line along these villages," he said, adding that the shortage of manpower to patrol the areas and the mouse trails has often caused the "smuggling" to continue.

The discovery of the mouse trails yesterday was, in Kg Junjongan where many of the other mouse trails were also located. Other mouse trails have also been found amongst the farmlands in Kg Wasan and Limau Manis.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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