RANTAU PANJANG: Kelantanese women are not only highly regarded for their entrepreneurial skills, they are also well-known for their exotic beauty.
Many in the latter group are of Thai-Malay parentage and live along the Kelantan-Thailand border in towns such as Rantau Panjang and Pasir Mas.
Siblings Anisatul Fitri Mat Ail, 25, and Anis Harnisal, 24, of Kampung Tinggi Pulai Chicha near Pasir Mas said their mother, Yaitong Salleh, originally came from Thailand.
“Our mother is from a small sub-province in Narathiwat called Al Satia.
“She married our father, her childhood sweetheart Mat Ail Yaakob, more than 30 years ago,” Anisatul said, adding she also has a brother.
“My siblings and I have never really thought about how different we look because it is regarded as quite common here.
“I know many other Kelantanese women who share our fair complexion,” said Anisatul.
The sisters run a cosmetics shop in Kuala Pilah.
Puteri Nur Thalia Hasmizul, 18, and her sisters Puteri Nur Nadierah and Siti Nur Edora, both 17, are used to people calling them mek Siam, an endearing term for women of Thai-Malay parentage.
“We have similar skin complexion. We don’t mind our friends calling us mek siam because it is a compliment,” said Puteri Nur Thalia, a former SMK Rantau Panjang student.
She said her mother, Mazlin Sabrina Mohd Pudzi, from Songkhla, Thailand and her cousin, Nur Alis Athirah Razali, 18, shared similar features.
Another cosmetics dealer Nur Susi Asmida Marlinus, 24, said her good looks helped in her business.
“I think this is the reason why many Kelantanese women venture into the cosmetics business.
“Some are so successful they have become celebrities.”
The second of three siblings from Pasir Mas attributed her good looks to her mother, Nor Azilawati Othman.
“Being beautiful is not just about how you look.
“What matters is how you carry yourself, apart from being educated and hardworking to achieve good things in life,” she said.