Malaysia/Thailand: UNHCR working closely with governments

Given the current sensitive situation in southern Thailand, UNHCR has decided to withhold any public pronouncement on the status of the 131 southern Thais currently in Malaysia. We believe any such public declaration on these individual cases would just complicate an already difficult situation. UNHCR has been working closely with both governments, and they are also cooperating with each other to calm this situation. We are confident that both governments are working in the best interests of the 131 Thais, and that the temporary stay already granted by Malaysian authorities on purely humanitarian grounds provides the necessary safeguards at this time.