Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today called on Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to back up his charges that bombers who struck in Thailand's Muslim south at the weekend had escaped to Malaysia.

"If he knows who they are we are ready to act," Najib told a news conference. "We cannot take action without accurate information."

Najib said Malaysia was always prepared to cooperate with Thailand and pledged: "We will not allow Malaysia to be a safe haven for any terrorists."

Thaksin said Tuesday the Thai authorities were working with Malaysian officials to track down the terrorists, who were believed to hold dual citizenship and had "slipped into Malaysia."

No one has claimed responsibility for the bomb planted on a motorcycle in a nightlife district of Sungai Kolok which injured 28 people, including eight Malaysians, in the latest incident in a wave of violence in the area.

Najib said Malaysia would "take stern action against anyone involved in terrorist acts irrespective of whether they are Malaysian citizens or foreign nationals who attempt to use Malaysia as a safe haven."

"We are ready to act but our actions must be based on information which is accurate and detailed."

No evidence

The issue of dual nationality, which enables people to cross the border freely, was "a long standing problem because the people use different names and its very hard to verify their identities," he said.

"But if both countries are concerned and want to do something about this I'm sure there are ways and means to prove their true identities, like using biometric methods."

So far there had been no evidence of Malaysians involved in the bombing, he said.

The town hit in the attack is packed with nightspots, karaoke bars and brothels and is popular with Malaysians taking a quick trip across 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 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