Malaysia today urged Thailand not to allow the violence and unhappiness in its Muslim south to turn the region into a hotbed for terrorist groups.

"We must not allow any breeding ground for terrorism to exist or to be nurtured," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told reporters ahead of a visit to Thailand by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"We hope that they (Thailand) will find a way that will not allow for any terrorist groups to take advantage of the instability or unhappiness," he said.

"In anywhere there is always a danger if people are not happy, some terrorist groups may take advantage of it," he said, when asked if the troubles could attract militants like Al-Qaeda.

During his visit to Thailand on Sunday, Prime Minister Abdullah is aiming to help find a "durable and lasting solution" to the conflict, Syed Hamid said.

Training for religious teachers

He said Malaysia will also offer Thailand help in training religious teachers and developing education modules promoting a moderate version of Islam.

The three-year insurgency has claimed almost 2,000 lives and strained relations between Thailand and majority-Muslim Malaysia.

Thailand has announced plans to extend an existing wall on its southern border between the Thai town of Sadao and the Malaysian town of Padang Besar to Yala, one of three restive southern provinces bordering northern Malaysia.

Syed Hamid said that Malaysia and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations was prepared to help Thailand resolve its domestic conflict for the sake of regional peace and security.

"It (the conflict) may not have spilled over, but Asean must look within itself at certain security matters as one whole region," he said.

"Peace at a domestic level is important in creating that environment of peace and stability in the region. It's up to Thailand," he said.