Published on January 18, 2006

Confusion arose yesterday over the fate of 130 Muslim-Thais who have sought refuge in Malaysia since August after senior officials in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok released conflicting re-ports regarding their repatriation. Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, of Malaysia’s prime minister’s department, incorrectly reported that the group held in northern Terengganu state were released and sent home, according to the state-run Bernama news agency.

“No more issues. All have been sent back. Both sides [Malaysia and Thailand] are very happy,” he said when asked about the fate of the Thais who fled to Kelantan in August of last year.

Malaysia’s Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail also said the remaining 130 had been released.

However, Abdul Gani later retracted his statement, saying it was the result of a “miscommunication”.

“I don’t know where they are,” Abdul Gani told The Associated Press after a series of denials from Thailand.

Hours after the initial report surfaced, Deputy Prime Ministers Surakiart Sathirathai, Chidchai Vanasatidya and Supreme Com-mander Ruangroj Mahasaranond said the group was still in Malaysia.

The senior officials said they had received reports from the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the Southern Border Provinces Peace-building Command that the 130 Muslims had not yet been freed. Officials at the border checkpoint in Sungai Kolok also denied the reports, saying that not a single member of the group had crossed the border into Thailand, Chidchai told reporters.

A total of 131 Thai Muslims fled into Kelantan on August 30 last year to escape the unrest in the southern provinces. One of them wanted in connection with a raid on a military camp in Narathiwat on January 4, 2004, was handed over to Thai authorities last month.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said he also received conflicting reports on the group’s repatriation.

Initially, Thaksin said he had received a report from the Interior Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Sucharit Patchimnant saying the Muslims were home. Sucharit later denied the report.

The prime minister later withdraw his statement after he was told the National Security Council and the Foreign Ministry had yet to confirm the repatriation.

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