Malaysia offers help to quell extremism in Thailand's south

Malaysia has moved to limit any domestic political fallout from its willingness to help Thailand combat Islamic extremism, with Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi urging Malaysians to understand that the help is to a friendly neighbour.

'Malaysians should not jump to conclusions over the government's readiness to help Thailand. If a neighbour has problems we certainly would want to help in the best way we could,' he said in the face of widespread anger at the killing last week of more than 100 Muslim youths by Thai security forces in the troubled Muslim-majority south.

Malaysia has offered to send Thailand moderate preachers to deliver sermons today in Thai mosques, to arrange for the broadcast of moderate Islamic topics over Thai radio and to help Thai authorities better understand the origins and causes of Islamic extremism and the powerful influence of Muslim cults.

The Thais had asked for Malaysian expertise to explain the true meaning of Islam and the importance of rejecting religious extremism and militancy during a meeting on Tuesday with a 10-member Malaysian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

The one-hour Bangkok meeting discussed last week's incident in which Thai police and soldiers shot dead 108 Muslim youths who had attacked them with knives, amid screams of 'God is great!'.

Mr Najib had said he had explained to Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his cabinet that Malaysia had wide experience in dealing with Muslim extremists, cults and militants.