He complained that the situation involving the transport operators from Thailand has persisted for years.
Most of these illegal operators, he said, were from Pattani and Songkhla in southern Thailand and carried out their activities during the school holidays and weekends. He has been in the business over the last 11 years and recounted the good old days when the returns were lucrative with domestic and foreign tourists alike patronising their services because they did not have much choice then.