Speaking to reporters before leaving for Europe, Thaksin suggested that Malaysian politicians’ comments on the issue were politically motivated.

“Sometimes [Malaysian politicians] say things just to gain political points at home,” Thaksin said. “But [such politicking] is not good for us because even if the Malaysian government was just trying to express its concerns about the situation, their statements affect us.”

On Friday, the Foreign Ministry summoned Malaysia’s ambassador to Bangkok, Dato Shaarani Bin Ibrahim, to protest about comments made by the Malaysian foreign minister that Kuala Lumpur would repatriate the Thai Muslim asylum seekers only on condition that Bangkok promised to protect their rights. The Foreign Ministry called the comment “an interference” in Thailand’s internal affairs.

Despite severe criticism levelled at him by UN and international human rights officials over his administration’s handling of the unrest in the deep South, Thaksin has insisted that the government has abided by international standards in its efforts to pacify the region.

Thai and Malaysian officials have been bickering over the reliability of the asylum seeker’s claims ever since they crossed the border illegally on August 30.

The villagers told Malaysian authorities that they feared harassment at the hands of security forces in the deep South, where more than 1,000 people have died since January 2004.

The incident has been an international embarrassment to the Thai government.

Thaksin has said that at least one of the 131 refugees, identified as Hamoeyoh Sa-u, 46, was a suspected militant with a warrant issued for his arrest.