Many were rescued while being transported toward the southern Thai border with Malaysia.

Apirat, however, expressed no imminent hope for a peace deal with the southern Thai insurgents.

Kelantan is one of four predominantly Malay Muslim states bordering the restive southern Thai provinces.

A bomb blast injured at least 20 people today in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat, police said.

The Bangkok Airways plane flying from the southern Thai resort of Krabi left the runway while landing in heavy rain.

They were detained at an apartment in the southern Thai holiday island of Phuket on Sunday, police said in a statement.

Among the people living in the five deep Southern Thai provinces, Thai-Malay Muslims (MUS) constitute the majority, while the remaining are Thai Buddhists (BUD).

After landing on the southern Thai coast, Solim said the roughly 400 migrants were marched 24 hours to a jungle camp.

The tsunami killed at least 2,230 foreigners in the southern Thai province whose beaches include devastated Khao Lak, the provincial government said today.

Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found dead on Sept. 15 on a beach on the southern Thai island of Koh Tao.