The government today said it feared violence in southern Thailand, where clashes with suspected Muslim rebels have left at least 95 dead, could spill over the border and had tightened security along the frontier.

Deputy Defence Minister Zainal Abidin Zin told AFP the military had to ensure that the rebels did not infiltrate into the country as they fled Thai forces.

"Security along our northern border with Thailand has been beefed up following the military operation in southern Thailand.

"We fear Thailand's military sweep could cause a spill over of violence into Malaysia. We have to take preventive measures to stop any infiltration of the groups that are being pursued by Thai military," he said.

Clashes between security forces and suspected Muslim rebels in Thailand's south yesterday left at least 95 dead in the bloodiest day in the history of the troubled region, officials said.

Police and soldiers battled armed groups who launched dawn attacks at 10 locations in the three provinces of Yala, Pattani and Songkhla which lie near the Malaysian border.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said only two security personnel were among the 95 killed and that the toll was low because police and army were well prepared and the attackers were only armed with machetes and a few guns.

No protection

The attacks were the latest in a series of bombings, raids and murders in Thailand's southern provinces, which over the past four months have claimed the lives of some 65 security forces, government officials and Buddhist monks.

Zainal told AFP Malaysia would ensure that the rebels "do not try to hide in our territory," touching on an issue which caused friction between the two countries earlier this month.

Thaksin flew to Kuala Lumpur on April 12 to smooth relations after Malaysia expressed irritation over his charges that it was harbouring separatists who fled after attacks in Thailand.

Zainal said Malaysia's army had "very good ties" with the Thai military but had not received any call for assistance.

Apart from increased military security, the police were on alert and conducting close checks at all border crossings while air surveillance could also be deployed to monitor any intrusions.

Travel advisory

Zainal said the government was advising Malaysians not to travel to southern Thailand, but a security official at the Padang Besar checkpoint in northern Perlis state said Malaysians and Thais continued to cross the border as normal.

"There is no reduction. On average about 2,000 people cross the border daily since the troubled areas are far from here - some 90 minutes road journey away," he said.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pledged full support for Thailand's crackdown on Islamic separatists along their border at his meeting with Thaksin this month.

He told a news conference that Malaysia was totally opposed to terrorism and viewed the situation in southern Thailand "with serious concern".

Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist nation but about five percent of the population is Muslim, most of them living in the five southern provinces bordering Malaysia's northern fundamentalist Muslim heartland.

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