Thailand yesterday dismissed a Malaysian news report claiming 20 Muslims had fled Narathiwat for asylum in Kelantan.

Thailand described the story as false and said it was intended to discredit the government.

The Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the consulate in Kota Bahru insisted there were no Narathiwat people seeking refuge in Malaysia.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Kitti Wasinondh said the report was "groundless".

The state-run news agency Bernama reported on Friday that a group of 20 people, including some children from five families, had fled "military pressure" at home.

"The report was groundless. Malaysian authorities indicated they had found no such asylum seekers," Kitti said.

Malaysia would continue to look for any group and enforce legal measures if it found illegal migrants, he added.

Bernama quoted an unnamed spokesman of the group as saying the army had harassed it over the past week.

A senior intelligence source suspected Bernama had been erroneously informed about the asylum seekers similar to the 131 Muslims who fled to Malaysia last year.

That group sparked a diplomatic dispute between Thailand and Malaysia before the issue cooled down when Malaysian authorities moved them to Terengganu State and Thailand stopped pressure to bring them back.

Southernmost Narathiwat province is a hot spot of violence. Kelantan is bordered by the narrow Kolok River which hundreds of people cross every day. People on both sides walk across it in the dry season.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation