Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will visit neighbouring Thailand tomorrow as part of a regional trip to boost bilateral ties and to seek ways to strengthen border cooperation, officials said today.

Abdullah, succeeded veteran strongman Dr Mahathir Mohamad in October when he retired after 22 years in power, and will hold talks with his Thai counterpart Thaksin Shinawatra, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

He will also have an audience with King Bhumibol Adulyadej, it said.

Abdullah's visit to Thailand is part of a traditional tour of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) countries for newly installed regional leaders.

Officers said it would also provide Abdullah with the opportunity to discuss and review bilateral issues of mutual concern with Thaksin, especially the recent attacks in Thailand's Narathiwat province in the south that left four soldiers and two policemen dead and schools torched.

The two countries on Tuesday launched joint border patrols, ahead of March when they had earlier been slated to start, because of the latest unrest.

Sharing intel

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is also defence minister, told reporters that there were fears that the attackers may have crossed over to Malaysia but investigations so far showed this was not true.

"We are sharing intelligence with the Thai military. They provided us with some information as to the possible whereabouts (of the attackers) in Malaysia but these have not been substantiated on the ground, so we will continue working closely with the Thais," he said.

Najib noted that weapons seized by the assailants after an attack on a Thai military camp have not been found and as such, the joint border patrols were crucial to ensure security.

The Thai government has made conflicting statements over who may be responsible for the attacks, blaming bandits, separatist groups and Islamic militants.

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. - AFP