Thai Muslims sheltering in Malaysia refuse to talk to Thai side
Leaders of 130 Thai Muslims who have taken shelters in Malaysia refused to talk to Thai authorities who visited them, an informed source said Monday.
A group of Thai officials had sought a visit between November 5-7 with the group of 130 Thai Muslims who sneaked from their hometown in Narathiwat to Malaysia in October last year to escape daily violence in the province.Malaysia has provided them with shelters in Trengganu state of Malaysia and asked Thai authorities to ensure their safety if they decide to return home. The source said the leaders of the group refused to meet us although Malaysian authorities arranged the meeting for us. The leaders claimed that the UN could possibly criticised Malaysia of trying to send back the group if the meeting took place. They shot down the proposal for the visit although the Thai side brought father of a leader with them. "We met the group in August, their attitudes were totally different. That time we had opportunity to talk to the group. Many of them want to go home. Maybe the leaders of the group did not want them to go home," the source said. The leaders may think if the Thais in the group had opportunity to talk to Thai officials, they may want to go home as soon as possible. The Nation
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