Malaysia grants access to Thai Muslims
Malaysiakini.com
Dec 2, 2006

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Najib Razak says Thai authorities will be given access to 131 Muslims who fled southern Thailand fearing official persecution from the former government of Thaksin Shinawatra.

According to an Agencies report carried by the Bangkok Post today, Najib said the access would be allowed "to convince them to return," and came after he met Thai army commander Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin earlier this week to discuss the violence caused by Muslim insurgents.

A group of 131 Thai Muslims fled across the southern border to Malaysia last year, fearing a military crackdown. They are now at a community center in the northeastern state of Terengganu, Najib said.

Sonthi had said earlier Malaysia used to cooperate in handing back suspected insurgents until Thaksin's government executed some of them. He did not provide further details or offer evidence.

"He would like them to return, and I said this is our wish (too)," Najib said, referring to Sonthi.

"Meanwhile, we will continue to keep them at the center in Terengganu and we will allow free access to them by the Thai authorities."

Humanitarian grounds

Malaysia said earlier the 131 would not be forced back, but would be allowed to remain on humanitarian grounds. Najib said that "since they are Thai citizens, they should return to Thailand" and that Sonthi had briefed him at their meeting earlier this week on efforts to mediate a "return to normalcy."

Thailand has asserted that insurgent leaders take refuge in Malaysia, an allegation publicly rejected by its southern neighbour. Bangkok has also said sympathisers in Malaysia were fuelling the insurgency by providing funds to suspected militants, another allegation denied by Malaysia.

Najib said Sonthi told him he was pleased with the state of relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbours.

The two countries will also compare databases to check on people holding dual citizenship, Najib said, without elaborating. Malaysia does not allow dual citizenship.

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