Thailand's foreign minister flew to neighbouring Malaysia today for consultations over violence near the border in the country's restive south which has left six people dead.

Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai held talks with his Malaysian counterpart Syed Hamid Albar and with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The two foreign ministers addressed a brief news conference after the talks, but gave few details of the discussions.

"Both parties have agreed to continue with cooperation in whatever way possible to ensure that our two neighbouring countries are always secure and stable at all times and that no action from any groups can cause any uncertainties," said Syed Hamid.

He announced that Abdullah would visit Thailand on Jan 16, saying this was simply part of a tour of regional countries which the new prime minister is carrying out after taking over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Oct 31.

Islamic militants

The Thai foreign minister said he came to the Malaysian administrative capital of Putrajaya to update Abdullah about the violence in which four soldiers and two policemen were killed on Sunday and Monday and 18 schools set ablaze.

Asked about allegations by Thai police that the prime suspect behind the violence was a "local troublemaker" with dual Thai-Malaysian citizenship who had fled across the border, he said: "The authorities are working on that, we should have the results soon."

Surakiart declined to comment on a remark by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that the suspects had links with Islamic militants.

Thaksin has blamed the violence on bandits involved in arms smuggling but has also warned that outside influences were at work, citing Islamic militants, although he denied the gunmen were linked to Thai Muslim separatists.

The five majority-Muslim provinces in southern Thailand, bordering mainly-Muslim Malaysia, have seen a spate of violent attacks against police and the military, including the killings of 20 people since April 2003.

Military assistance

Meanwhile, Malaysia's Defence Minister Najib Razak told reporters that top army officers had been despatched to Thailand to offer assistance.

Asked about the possibility of the involvement of Malaysians in the violence, he said he did not want to speculate.

Najib said Thailand was keen to begin joint border patrols with the Malaysians.

"Joint patrol means we patrol on our side and they patrol on their side but we meet up at an agreed point to discuss intelligence reports and whatever we have discovered," he said.

The system had last been in place during the communist insurrection in Malaysia decades ago and a revival was still in the planning stages, he said. - AFP