HAT YAI, Thailand Thai and Malaysian cabinet ministers met under extremely tight security today to discuss regional terrorism as well as a planned gas pipeline that sparked violent protests in this southern city.

Some 5,000 security forces, including army commandos and air force personnel, were deployed to prevent a repeat of Friday's clashes between police and villagers demonstrating against the pipeline which left dozens injured.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his Malaysian counterpart Dr Mahathir Mohamad held a separate meeting before joining their cabinets for an informal round-table discussion.

Historic moment

"This joint meeting is an historic moment, not only for Thai-Malaysian relations but also for the region as a whole," Thaksin said in opening remarks.

"Economic activities will flourish when people feel safe and secure. We need to work together to fight against terrorism, crime and illicit activities along our common border."

Recent media reports have shone the terrorism spotlight on Thailand's five Muslim-majority provinces bordering Malaysia, claiming that terrorists met, trained and planned attacks there before October's devastating Bali bombings.

Malaysian officials said the billion-dollar gas pipeline linking Thailand and Malaysia with an offshore field, which has been delayed by protests claiming it will wreak environmental damage, would also be a headline topic.

"The gas pipeline will feature high at the meeting," Malaysian foreign ministry secretary general Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak told AFP .

Very cordial meet

During a break in the talks Malaysian Minister of Works Samy Vellu said Thai ministers had reassured them that the pipeline, which will come ashore in Thailand's Songkhla province, would go ahead.

"They are very keen about the project and Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suvit Khunkitti said the project must go on as promised," he said, describing the meeting as "very cordial".

The Thai government expressed regret Saturday at the angry demonstration over the pipeline which marred the run-up to the historic joint cabinet meeting, and vowed to take action against protest leaders.

To prevent a repeat of the trouble, the roads around the hotel hosting the talks were sealed off to traffic in a one kilometre (half-mile) radius and barricades were set up across the city and at the hotel's main entrance.

An army helicopter and 700 soldiers were on standby in Songkhla province while others were posted inside the talks venue.

Thailand's foreign ministry said in a statement that problems which need resolving between the two countries included "border disputes and terrorism in southern provinces".

The region has been rocked since the beginning of this year by a series of attacks including bomb blasts at a hotel and a Buddhist temple, and arson attacks against schools.

Gangsters blamed

The trouble has been blamed on gangsters involved in illegal businesses which flourish on the border. Although Muslim separatists have operated in the region for decades they are now seen as incapable of mounting major attacks.

Apart from security concerns, economic and labour issues were also on the agenda of the joint meeting.

Malaysia is Thailand's second largest trading partner in Southeast Asia after Singapore. Trade between the two countries amounted to 5.89 billion dollars in 2001, an increase of 3.9 percent over the previous year.

Malaysian Labor Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn said there are currently 30,000 Thai workers in Malaysia and that Thailand has requested it take in more, a proposal that Malaysia will now consider. AFP