MANILA - Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad are to witness the signing of an anti-terrorism pact among their countries and Indonesia on Tuesday, officials here said.

The trilateral accord to be signed in Kuala Lumpur among ministers of the Southeast Asian neighbours would see intensified joint patrols and intelligence sharing aimed at curbing the movement of suspected terrorists across borders, they said.

Arroyo is to fly to Kuala Lumpur Tuesday for a one-day visit.

The three countries began working out the agreement after the Sept 11 terror attacks in the United States.

The closer cooperation on counter-terrorism was highlighted by growing concerns that Southeast Asia could become another terrorist haven.

Some governments have linked Muslim militant groups in the region to the al-Qaeda terror network of Osama bin Laden, suspected mastermind of the Sept 11 attacks.

Diplomatic sources said details on the "Agreement on Information Exchange and Establishment of Communication Procedures" on counter-terrorism were ironed out recently after several rounds of talks.

Support sought

Arroyo said in her weekly radio address Monday that she would seek Mahathir's continuing support for Manila's peace and development initiatives in the main southern island of Mindanao as well as her government's war on terrorism.

The Philippines is engaged in joint operations with the United States to crush the Muslim Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group in the troubled south.

Arroyo said she would also discuss with Mahathir efforts to speed up talks brokered by Kuala Lumpur between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest separatist group in the Philippines.

The plight of thousands of Filipino workers, many of whom have been deported recently from Sabah, would be among topics to be discussed, she said.

"In my discussions with Prime Minister Mahathir, I would push for the rights of Filipino workers in Malaysia.

"I would ask for an assurance from authorities there on their deportation process, that our undocumented Filipinos in Sabah be treated fairly and humanely," Arroyo said.

She would also give a keynote address at the general meeting of the Pacific Basin Economic Council in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday before flying to Thailand for a two-day visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Arroyo said she would seek joint tourism ventures between Thai and Philippine companies and seek to woo more Thai investors.