During Najib’s state visit to Bangkok, the Malaysian leader and his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-O-Cha will discuss building a new stretch of fence along a small section of the border, according to Thailand’s defense ministry spokesman. People-trafficking and the smuggling of contraband, including drugs and petrol, have flourished along the Thai-Malay border for years until a crackdown by Thai officials on human traffickers caused some of the routes to shut down last year. "We both face security issues including the fight against terrorism, human trafficking and illegal smuggling, that is why we need to address these issues seriously," said Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. The Thai and Malaysian leaders will discuss ways to advance dialogue with the insurgents, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Najib’s visit follows three deadly bomb attacks in southern Thailand over the past month, including a wave of bombs in tourist towns in August that Thai police have linked to Muslim separatists operating in the country’s south. Thailand’s three Muslim-majority southernmost provinces are plagued by a bloody insurgency, and the porous 650-kilometer (400 mile) border with Malaysia is also a crime hotbed, criss-crossed by human traffickers, drug mules and weapon smugglers. Since 2004, Muslim separatists operating in the area have waged a bloody insurgency which has claimed more than 6500 lives, according to the Deep South Watch which monitors the conflict. Thailand’s three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat were once part of an independent Malay Muslim sultanate until they were annexed by Thailand in 1909. “The second reason is that insurgents operating in Thailand regularly cross the border and use Malaysia as a safety base.”

Yet, it remains unclear how far the wall will reduce crime.
Elections in Malaysia are to occur in 2017 as efforts to challenge the legitimacy of Najib Razak mount.