Malaysian troops accidentally wandering into Thailand are isolated cases that cannot be avoided, said Admiral of the Second Infantry Division Major General Amiruddin Mahmud Aladad Khan today.

A Bernama report - which used the Malay term tersasar (off-target) to describe the encroaching troops - quoted the admiral as saying that these incidents seldom happened.

However, he said such cases occurred when troops were not careful or in the absence of clear border markings.

"This could happen when border lines are not clearly known," the retiring general told reporters in Kelantan.

Amiruddin said last year there was only one such case which involved five Malaysian soldiers who were undergoing training.

If such incidents happen, the general said the army would seek the assistance of the Thai security forces.

"We (Malaysia-Thailand security forces) have a good relationship at all levels due to holding annual meetings," he added.

On the same note, the general advised Malaysian troops to be more cautious when patrolling the border to avoid the recurrence of such incidents.

Border security

In last year's incident, Thai security forces detained five Malaysian troops for straying across the border while on patrol.

The Malaysian soldiers said they had lost their way in dense jungle while on a routine mission.

The soldiers, who were picked up inside Thailand's Yala province, were released a few days later after investigations.

One high-ranking Thai army officer told the media that the five were only low ranking army personnel who had little knowledge of maps.

Speculations of espionage had also come to the fore following the arrest of the Malaysian troops, but this has since been denied.

Meanwhile, Amiruddin said the close ties between Malaysian and Thailand guaranteed border security between the two nations.

The general is expected to retire on July 14 after serving 37 years in the armed forces.