Deputy SBPAC secretary-general Somkiat Polprayoon, who welcomed the returned group at the centre’s head office in Yala province, said the Thais had been found guilty of illegal entry and working without permission at the event after its organiser failed to obtain proper documents for them.

The Malaysian legal process was completed early last week and the 53 were released on Friday night.

Somkiat said that the centre would provide information to deep South residents who wished to go to work in Malaysia, with regard to obtaining proper documents and the legal processes involved, to prevent a reoccurrence.

Last September, Malaysian police arrested 21 elderly Thai women, also from the deep South, for working in Johor State without proper documents. Twelve were sent home in January but the other nine women are still in custody.