BANGKOK, Dec 6 — When floodwaters swept through Hat Yai in Thailand’s Songkhla province in November, submerging streets and leaving residents stranded, Malaysian volunteers crossed the border not as tourists but as first responders answering a call for help.

They were from several Penang-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that were involved in evacuating Malaysians affected by the floods in Hat Yai and the surrounding districts.