Malaysia fears Thai violence could spread

Malaysia fears Thai violence could spread

M. Jegathesan, Agence France-Press, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia said on Wednesday it had tightened security along its
frontier with southern Thailand as it feared violence between
suspected Muslim rebels and security forces could spill over the
border.

Deputy Defense Minister Zainal Abidin Zin told AFP Malaysia's
military had to ensure that the rebels did not infiltrate this
Muslim country as they fled Thai forces after clashes which left
at least 127 people dead.

"Security along our northern border with Thailand has been
beefed up following the military operation in southern Thailand,"
he said.

"We fear Thailand's military sweep could cause a spill-over of
violence into Malaysia. We have to take preventive measures to
stop any infiltration of the groups that are being pursued by
Thai military," he said.

The clashes between security forces and suspected Muslim
rebels in Thailand's south on Wednesday were the bloodiest day in
the history of the troubled region, officials said.

Police and soldiers battled armed groups who launched dawn
attacks at 10 locations in the three provinces of Yala, Pattani
and Songkhla which lie near the Malaysian border, the authorities
said.

The attacks were the latest in a series in Thailand's southern
provinces, which over the past four months have claimed the lives
of some 65 security force personnel, government officials and
Buddhist monks.

Zainal told AFP Malaysia would ensure that the rebels "do not
try to hide in our territory," touching on an issue which caused
friction between the two countries earlier this month.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra flew to Kuala Lumpur on
April 12 to smooth relations after Malaysia expressed irritation
over his charges that it was harboring separatists who fled after
attacks in Thailand.

He won a pledge of full support from Prime Minister Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi, who said Malaysia was totally opposed to terrorism
and viewed the situation in southern Thailand "with serious
concern".

Zainal said Malaysia's army had "very good ties" with the Thai
military but had not received any call for assistance.

Apart from increased military security, the police were on
alert and conducting close checks at all border crossings while
air surveillance could also be deployed to monitor any
intrusions.

Zainal said the government was advising Malaysians not to
travel to southern Thailand, but a security official at the
Padang Besar checkpoint in northern Perlis state said Malaysians
and Thais continued to cross the border as normal.

"There is no reduction. On average about 2,000 people cross
the border daily since the troubled areas are far from here --
some 90 minutes road journey away," he said.

Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist nation but about 5
percent of the population is Muslim, most of them living in the
five southern provinces bordering Malaysia's northern
fundamentalist Muslim heartland.

The region was plagued by separatist unrest until the 1980s
when the Thai government managed to curb militant activity, but
violence has flared again this year.