Violence blamed on Islamic separatists in Thailand's southern provinces was unlikely to spill over into neighboring Malaysia if the two countries continue to cooperate and share intelligence, Malaysia's foreign minister said Thursday. Syed Hamid Albar made the comment after representatives from Thailand and Malaysia met to discuss security, trade and investment along the two nations' border. The Thai border area has been hit by violence in recent months, with more than 320 people killed since January in bloodshed blamed mostly on Islamic separatists. «I'm not worried about the security situation so long as there're a lot of exchanges (of intelligence) and each side takes care of its own positions,» Syed Hamid said. He said cooperation is key to preventing any spread of the violence. For example, as part of a Joint Development Strategy, Malaysia will work more closely with Thailand to hunt for suspects whose dual nationality allows them to cross the border freely, he said. «Of course, JDS can't solve all problems, but some aspects,» Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said. The two countries have already pledged more than 500 million baht (US$12.5 million) in development projects for the border region, he added.
