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.