Thailand's military-backed prime minister said today that he will make a one-day official visit to Malaysia next week to discuss ending an insurgency along their shared border.

"In (the) middle of next week, I will visit Malaysia to talk about bilateral cooperation as friendly countries who share a common border," Surayud Chulanont, a former army chief, told reporters.

Surayud said he had already discussed the insurgency in Thailand's southernmost provinces with Malaysia's ambassador in Bangkok, who had voiced optimism that joint cooperation could end more than two years unrest in the Muslim-majority region.

"I received a very positive signal from Malaysia's ambassador," he said.

Surayud met with dozens of ambassadors yesterday, including the Malaysian envoy, in a bid to improve Thailand's battered image after the Sept 19 coup that ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Peace talks

A Government House official said that Surayud would make the one-day visit on Wednesday to Kuala Lumpur, following his visits to neighbours Laos and Cambodia at the weekend.

Residents in Thailand's southernmost provinces are mostly ethnic Malay and Muslim, sharing more culturally with their neighbours across the border than with the rest of Buddhist Thailand.

An Islamic separatist insurgency and other unrest has roiled the region since January 2004, killing more than 1,500 people.

Surayud's military-backed administration has announced plans for talks with two insurgent groups early next month, and rebel leaders have reportedly said they would like to hold the talks in Malaysia.

Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad's office has revealed that he brokered talks between Thai officials and Muslim groups on the Malaysian island of Langkawi late last year, in an attempt to establish a ceasefire.