MALAYSIA NoT blaming Thai military over blasts

Friday January 12, 2007

MALAYSIA NoT blaming Thai military over blasts

IPOH: Malaysia does not harbour any preconception towards Thailand's military over the explosions that injured four Malaysian soldiers in Sik, Kedah, on Tuesday, said Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Zainal Abidin Zin.

“The relations between Malaysia and Thailand, between our soldiers and Thai soldiers, are good.

“Therefore, we do not harbour any preconception that the incident was the work of Thai soldiers. It must have been committed by an individual or a group,” he said at the state operations room at Bangunan Darul Ridwan here.

Zainal Abidin said a platoon of soldiers had been despatched to scour the area and trace the source of the explosions.

“As far as I know, we are getting the cooperation of the Thai government and military,” he said, adding that a stricter and comprehensive monitoring and action strategy had been drawn up.

Three injured soldiers – Sjn Mat Nazir Ishak, 34, and Prebet Yuzaizi Yusof, 26, and Prebet Abdul Razak Abdul Wahab, 23 – have been discharged from hospital.

Defence Ministry public relations deputy director L/Kol Fadzlette Marican told Bernama that L/Kpl Azmi Rashid, 31, would be discharged soon.

The soldiers, from the Army's Second Division based at the Sungai Ara Camp in Penang, were on routine patrol at the border near Pos Ban Din Samoe when two explosions went off, believed to been caused by hand grenades.

The location of the Malaysian army control post is about 100m from that of the Thai army at Ban Din Samoe, which separates Malaysia and Thailand.

Sources said the authorities had ruled out militant involvement.

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