Malaysia showed growing irritation today over charges by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that it is harbouring Muslim separatist terrorists.

Defence Minister Najib Abdul Razak said there was apparently no truth to claims that bombers and gunmen responsible for attacks in southern Thailand had crossed the border into mainly-Muslim Malaysia.

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who said a meeting between Thaksin and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would be arranged this week, told Thailand to stop playing "the blaming game".

Najib, who is also deputy prime minister, told a news conference Malaysia believed the spate of violence in southern Thailand this year was "an internal security problem of Thailand's".

Asked whether there was any truth to claims that terrorists had crossed the border into Malaysia, Najib told a news conference: ""No. Well as far as we know, we have no specific report and our security forces have not found anything yet.

"Malaysia is not a safe haven for any terrorists."

No specific information

Thaksin said last week: "We have to clearly tell Malaysia that currently Malaysian villages are habouring militants. We are not accusing them but we want Malaysia to take action as it has pledged to cooperate," he said.

Malaysian ministers have constantly affirmed their readiness to cooperate with Thailand, but have complained of inadequate or inaccurate information from the Thai side.

"We've had some initial reports, we've investigated these reports, but we have found out that they (militants) are not in the area that they were said to be," Najib said.

"But we are working very closely with Thai authorities in terms of what we can do if and when they cross over to our side of the border, and if we are given specific information as to the whereabouts of these people.

"Our forces are put on high alert on the border. On our side it is very calm, but we are willing to act as and when it is necessary."

Nationality issue

Syed Hamid was quoted by The Star as saying: "Reports of these terrorists, who are fighting for a separate state in the region, being trained in Malaysia are old stories being repeated.

"We have openly, clearly and continuously given assurances to Thailand that we do not support any separatist movement and that we respect their territorial integrity and will not let our borders be used as training grounds."

High on the agenda of the talks between Thaksin and Abdullah will be tackling the issue of militants who allegeldy hold dual Thai-Malaysian nationality.

The militants are accused of carrying out a March 27 bombing in a Thai border town which wounded 28 people, including eight Malaysian tourists.

The bombing was the first attack on civilians since violence broke out in Thailand's Muslim south in January. The unrest has left 55 people dead, mostly government officials and security forces.

Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist nation but about five percent of the population is Muslim, and most live in the five southern provinces bordering Malaysia.

The region was plagued by separatist violence until the 1980s when the government managed to curb militant activity, but in the last few years violence has flared again. - AFP