YALA, April 19 — The Malaysian military released five Thai nationals who were detained for illegal trespassing after they strayed into Malaysian territory, according to the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC)’s 4th Region Forward Command spokesman.
Col Pramote Prom-in told reporters that 4th Army Region commander Lt Gen Walit Rojanapakdi ordered 5th Infantry Division commander Maj Gen Ruangsak Suwannaka to coordinate with Malaysia to clarify that the five Thais who illegally entered into Malaysian soil were lost and unintentionally trespassing.
The five Thais had been detained by Malaysian soldiers since Thursday as they were looking for their friends who fell behind while they were hunting on mountains along the Thai-Malaysian border in Yala.
The five reportedly breached into Malaysian soil by more than three kilometres.
They were detained at a base near the Thai border area of Khiri Khet subdistrict, Than To district of Yala.
5th infantry division special task unit commander Col Paisan Nusang said that coordination with Malaysian authorities has yielded fruitful results as Malaysia has agreed to released the five Thais, and they were expected to return to Thailand today.
