Eight Thai officials nabbed in Laos

The provincial authorities have already contacted counterparts in Laos to locate the detainees, he said, adding that they were being held in Maung Yaw district in Xayabouly. They were safe and in good condition, he said.

MajGeneral Nithinant Chaiwattanaphan, Nan provincial military commander, said the group led by Captain Somsak Phummarin, commander of Company 3203, was captured at the area near Phu Sam Sao in Xianghon district, one kilometre from the border.

They left Thailand at 9am on Tuesday for Xayabouly to seek cooperation on antinarcotic activities along the border area, he said. They were familiar with their Lao counterparts as they regularly visited the province, he added.

"It's not a big deal. There might be misunderstanding among Lao officials," Nithinant told reporters.

In Bangkok, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said the ministry had alerted the Thai embassy in Vientiane about the incident.

"There should be no problem and it could be settled at local level. We have a joint mechanism to solve such problems," he said.

//The Nation