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Malaysia deports 130 Thai Muslim asylum-seekers

Posted on: Tuesday, 17 January 2006, 03:02 CST

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia has deported all the 131 Thai Muslims who fled their homeland last year to escape rising violence in Thailand's troubled south, state news agency Bernama said on Tuesday.

The group, which had been in Malaysian custody since last August, was the largest to have fled to Malaysia from southern Thailand, where more than 1,000 people have been killed in two years of separatist unrest.

"No more issues. All have been sent back. Both sides are very happy," the news agency quoted Malaysia's law minister, Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, as telling reporters.

Malaysia had earlier handed back one unidentified member of the group, whom Bangkok had accused of involvement in militant activities.

The 130 Thais were repatriated late last year, Bernama quoted Malaysian Attorney-General Gani Patail as saying. Both Gani and Radzi declined further comment.

The repatriation came as a surprise to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, which had interviewed the Thais while in detention.

"We, too, are in the dark," said spokeswoman Yante Ismail.

Ties between mainly Muslim Malaysia and the Buddhist kingdom to its north had been strained over the violence in Thailand's largely Muslim far south, where some Muslims are waging an insurgency.

Malaysia is unhappy with some heavy-handed tactics Thailand has used to suppress the unrest, while Bangkok suspects insurgents are crossing into Malaysia to avoid capture.

Last week, Thailand said it would ask Malaysia to help prevent separatist rebels setting off bombs with mobile phones registered in Malaysia.

Source: REUTERS

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