POLICE in Kelantan have dismissed claims that suspects involved in the deadly ambush and bombing in Thailand's Narathiwat province last month fled across the border into Malaysia.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said investigations carried out by the force, including its Special Branch, had uncovered no evidence to support the allegation.
He added that Malaysian authorities had also not received any request from their Thai counterparts to assist in tracking down the suspects.
“Our Special Branch has also conducted investigations, but there is nothing. If there is, provide us with the names (of the suspects). As of now, there has been no request for assistance,” he told reporters in Kota Bharu on Sunday.
The attack occurred at about 6.45pm on July 22, when five Thai Army Rangers were killed in an ambush at a roadblock along Bu Ke Chami Municipal Road in the Tanjong Mas sub-district of Ra-ngae district, Narathiwat province.
Six civilians, including a 10-year-old boy, were also injured in the assault.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage released by Narathiwat authorities showed six suspects dressed in black arriving in a black pickup truck at the time of the attack.
According to Thai authorities, the suspects fled towards a neighbouring district, prompting security forces to seal off the surrounding area.
Mohd Yusoff added allegations that criminals involved in attacks in southern Thailand had escaped into Malaysia frequently surfaced because Kelantan shares a border with Thailand.
He said the closure of illegal crossing points along the Malaysia–Thailand border, which he ordered after taking office in December 2024, had been aimed not only at curbing smuggling activities but also at preventing such allegations.
“That is why, from the very beginning when I came to Kelantan, I instructed that illegal border crossings be closed. It is not only to stop the smuggling of drugs or untaxed goods, but also because we are often blamed in cases like this.
“Whenever there is a shooting or an explosion, people immediately claim the perpetrators fled here because Kelantan borders Thailand. But there is no evidence,” he said.
Earlier, Mohd Yusoff attended a coordination meeting between the Royal Malaysia Police and the Kelantan Education Department at the department's headquarters in Tunjong. - August 2, 2026
