Malaysia is "very concerned" over the weekend bomb attack on a popular tourist district in southern Thailand near the border between the two countries, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said today.

Najib, who is also defence minister, pledged Malaysia's full cooperation with the Thai authorities to increase security in the border area.

"I am very concerned about the situation. We will fully cooperate with the Thai authorities," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

There was a high level of cooperation between the police and the armed forces of Malaysia and Thailand over border security he said, adding there was no indication that the bombers had crossed into Malaysia.

Be careful

Several Malaysians were among the 28 injured in the blast Saturday night in Sungai Kolok, a town packed with nightspots, karaoke bars and brothels and Najib warned travellers to be "careful wherever they are, especially at the border."

The bombing was the first attack on civilians since violence broke out in Thailand's Muslim south in January. The unrest has left 55 people dead, mostly government officials and security forces.

Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist nation but about five percent of the population is Muslim, and most live in the five southern provinces bordering mainly-Muslim Malaysia.

The region was plagued by separatist violence until the 1980s when the government managed to curb militant activity, but in the last few years violence has flared again. - AFP