Thai Muslims return to hometowns for Hari Raya celebrations

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NARATHIWAT, July 25 — Many Thai Muslim people working in neighbouring countries have arrived in Thailand for the upcoming Hari Raya celebrations.

The tourism atmosphere in Thailand’s southern province of Narathiwat is lively ahead of Hari Raya, which is celebrated after the annual Ramadan fast, as Thai-Muslim workers began to arrive in Thailand from Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam through the Tak Bai border checkpoint, generating more income for passenger boat drivers in the area.

After al-Fitr was scheduled for Sunday night by the Sheikhul Islam Office, many Thai Muslims have returned to hometowns in the Thai South to celebrate the upcoming occasion with families, while people in Thailand crossed the border to Malaysia to buy festive items in preparation for the celebrations.

Meanwhile, the security checkpoint in Songkhla’s Chana district searched cars, pickup trucks, vans and motorcycles headed for Hatyai, following security agency cautions abut more than 40 vehicles stolen in the three southernmost provinces and four Songkhla districts, amid concerns that insurgents might place explosives inside the vehicles and stir violence in the region at the end of the of the holy month of Ramadan.

Photos of stolen vehicles have been placed near the border checkpoint for passersby to help monitor suspicious vehicles entering the area.