Thaksin, Abdullah to meet next week

Thaksin, Abdullah to meet next week

THAILAND: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will meet his Malaysian counterpart on April 12, Thailand said on Wednesday as Bangkok sought to end a diplomatic spat over the unrest in its largely Muslim south.

Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbors have been strained since Thai officials alleged that militants behind the violence have found refuge over the border.

A Thai foreign ministry statement said Thaksin and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would discuss security and economic issues during their meeting in Kuala Lumpur. It insisted there was no bad blood between them over the restive region, which has a history of sometimes violent separatism.

"Thailand has never expressed any position, or had any intention, of suggesting or accusing Malaysia of being involved in problems in southern Thailand as reported by some media," the statement said.

Thai officials have said a recent motorcycle bomb that wounded nearly 30 people outside a border town karaoke bar was the work of Thais with dual nationalities who fled to Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur said it looked for the militants on the basis of Thai intelligence, but found nothing. -- Reuters