KOTA BARU: Families of the six Malaysians caught for alleged drug possession in Sungai Golok town last week are considering hiring lawyers to assist with the case.
However, they are facing difficulties in finding suitable lawyers, as most lawyers in Thailand do not speak Malay.
A representative of the families, who declined to be named, said that hiring Thai lawyers poses a challenge due to the need for an interpreter.
"We plan to engage lawyers to help us with the case. Since it went viral, many Thai lawyers have offered their services. However, we have yet to decide, as we need to discuss this among family members to ensure we choose the right one. We also don't want to waste time on lawyers who can't speak both Malay and English," he said.
The man, a sibling of one of the six, added that finding a reliable interpreter is also challenging.
He said that some family members, including those of the modern dikir barat singer, recently returned to Kelantan.
"We have been informed that we can only visit the six, who are now in Narathiwat prison, after 10 days," he added.
It was reported yesterday that the six Malaysians, detained by Thai police last Friday for alleged drug possession, cannot be granted bail and will remain in jail pending investigation.
A Thai police spokesman said that under Thailand's drug laws, anyone caught with more than 200 Yaba pills cannot be released on bail while the investigation is ongoing.
The spokesman added that the Narathiwat court yesterday granted police permission to detain the six individuals - three men and three women - for up to 84 days.
He said that the 84-day period is to allow police to complete all documents related to the case.
It was reported that a 29-year-old modern dikir barat singer and her husband are among the six who were caught with 6,000 Yaba pills in Sungai Golok town last Friday.