Malaysia and the Philippines agreed today to set up a "hot line" between security officials as part of efforts to fight terrorism and cross-border crime, a senior official said.

"We have agreed to establish a 'hot line' between security officials to boost the effectiveness of our operations against terrorists and criminals," First Admiral Noor Aziz Yunan, director of the Malaysian maritime enforcement coordinating center, told AFP .

Malaysian and Philippines officials began a four-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to enhance security cooperation.