THAI authorities have arrested more than 400 people trying to sneak across the border from Malaysia after it re-opened five land border checkpoints yesterday.

Deputy Commander of Fourth Army Region, Maj Gen Kriangkrai Srirak said about 300 Thais crossed the border today without registering with the Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Consulate-General in Penang or Kelantan, or for not having travel documents and ‘fit-to-travel’ documents.

Yesterday, he said 130 were arrested after crossing natural borders into the kingdom.

“They were each fined THB800 (RM107) and sent to state facilities for 14 days in quarantine,” he said.

The Thais mostly worked on plantations and fishing vessels in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesman Thaweesilp Wissanuyothin said 2,548 Thais stranded in Malaysia have registered to return home as of this month.

He said since the re-opening of the land border checkpoints of Thailand and Malaysia yesterday, the authorities limited the number of returnees to about 350 a day.

“On the first day of re-opening of the land border checkpoints, 266 Thais registered to return home while it was 303 today,” he said at the Covid-19 daily briefing in Bangkok today.

He said the Thai embassy and Consulate offices have provided assistance, such as care packages, food and essential items to 10,396 Thai people in Malaysia. – Bernama, April 19, 2020.