Malaysian army nabs Uighur escapee near Bukit Kayu Hitam

ALOR SETAR: An Uighur man, who was among 20 detainees who fled from a detention centre at Sadao in Southern Thailand, has been arrested at the Bukit Tangga security post near Bukit Kayu Hitam.

Kedah police chief Commissioner Datuk Asri Yusoff said Mohammatimin, who is in his 30s, was detained by army personnel guarding the area at about 4pm Tuesday.

"Our Thai counterpart has been informed of the man's arrest. He is being held at the Jitra police station lock-up before he is handed over to the Thai authorities.

"He was arrested for entering the country illegally," Datuk Asri told the media after meeting with secondary school principals in the state at the police contingent headquarters here.

Twenty Uighurs reportedly escaped from the immigration detention centre at about 3am on Monday (Nov 20).

Five were caught and the rest are believed to have crossed the border into Malaysia. The Uighurs are part of the estimated 200 being held at Thai immigration detention centres and waiting to be sent back to China on Beijing's insistence.