Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Malaysia will seek "feedback" from its Southeast Asian neighbours over the recognition of Thailand's new military rulers, state media said today.

"In this connection, we'll get the feedback from our friends in Asean," Abdullah was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency from New York.

"Of course, Asean would like to ascertain its position with regard to this issue," he added.

Abdullah has called for a swift return to democratic rule in Thailand.

Malaysia and Thailand are among the founding members of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

No contact

Deputy premier Najib Razak said yesterday that Malaysia was not keen on seeing a military government in Thailand.

There had been no contact with coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin so far, and Malaysia currently did not recognise the interim military government, he said.

Malaysian lawmakers have also expressed concern about the impact of the coup on bilateral relations. Last year, Malaysia was the second-largest investor in Thailand after Japan.