Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Malaysian, Thai PMs in key visit to troubled region
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Malaysian, Thai PMs in key visit to troubled region
AFP - 2 hours 17 minutes ago
Send
IM Story
Print
Malaysian, Thai PMs in key visit to troubled region
BUKIT TA, Thailand (AFP) - – The Malaysian and Thai prime ministers made a historic joint visit Wednesday to Thailand's restive south where a bloody separatist insurgency has left more than 4,000 dead.
Najib Razak and his Thai counterpart Abhisit Vejjajiva officially named a "Friendship Bridge" spanning their shared border and were to visit an Islamic school in Thailand's troubled Muslim-majority southern provinces.
Security was tight for the trip after a spike in deadly bombings and shootings that has left 10 people dead since Monday, underscoring the difficulties in finding a solution to the six-year uprising.
"I have no doubt in my mind that this Friendship Bridge will serve its noble purpose and boost further the various economic, social and cultural activities between our two countries," Najib said at the naming ceremony.
The two leaders arrived at the bridge near the Thai town of Bukit Ta on military helicopters. Thai army choppers circled the area and authorities cut mobile phone signals to guard against possible remote-controlled bombs.
Hundreds of Thai troops manned checkpoints leading to the border and bomb disposal squads checked the area, while police boats patrolled the muddy waters of the Sunai Kolok River flowing below the bridge.
In the latest violence, one forensic policeman was killed and three security officials wounded in twin bomb blasts by a river bank in Yala's provincial town on Wednesday morning.
Earlier Wednesday, two Thai marines were wounded in a bomb and gun attack in Narathiwat province, where the bridge is located, after the troops tried to collect banners criticising Abhisit's policies on the south.
Another roadside bomb wounded two troops and a policeman protecting teachers in neighbouring Yala province, while on Tuesday a bomb killed a soldier in a border town.
A soldier wounded in a clash with insurgents late Tuesday on a road due to be used by Abhisit and Najib died in hospital overnight, taking the toll from the incident to three security officials and one militant.
Two people were killed by a powerful motorcycle bomb in the town of Narathiwat on Monday while two other civilians were shot dead earlier this week.
The two-lane bridge was opened in December 2007 by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Surayud Chulanont, the then-prime ministers of Malaysia and Thailand, in a bid to boost the border region's economy.
Badawi did not visit any other parts of southern Thailand at the time.
In Bangkok on Tuesday, Najib pledged his support for Thailand's "constructive" plans to curb the violence after holding talks with Abhisit but said it remained essentially a domestic problem for Thailand.
Abhisit said Najib had also offered support "in terms of making sure that the people engaging in violence do not use Malaysia as a base for their operations".
Thailand has in the past accused Malaysia of failing to prevent insurgents criss-crossing the porous 650-kilometre (400-mile) border.
But since Najib came to power in April the rhetoric has softened. In October he called on Thailand to offer "some form" of autonomy to the region, a proposal backed by Abhisit, who called it the "right approach".
The two leaders were later Wednesday due to visit one public school and one Islamic school, a handicraft village and a "widow village" that shelters some 140 families affected by the unrest.
Tensions have simmered in the troubled region, formerly an autonomous Malay Muslim sultanate, since it was annexed in 1902 by mainly Buddhist Thailand. The current insurgency erupted in January 2004.
Brussels-based think-tank International Crisis Group said Tuesday that Thailand must deal with the perceived impunity of security forces and disarm civilian militias.
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Antarctic nations consider new controls on ships AP - 1 hour 1 minute ago
China to resettle at least 440,000 for water project AFP - 1 hour 11 minutes ago
Myanmar state media scolds democracy icon Suu Kyi AP - 1 hour 25 minutes ago
AP NewsAlert AP - 1 hour 27 minutes ago
Australia bans NKorean artists, accused of 'censorship' AFP - 1 hour 40 minutes ago
News Search
Top Stories
US agency suggests Christmas gifts for the disaster age
Greece under pressure to take budget action
Obama in new push to end 'tragedy' of unemployment
Ohio executes inmate with single drug
US cancer rate declines: study
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
Woods' mother-in-law rushed to hospital
Virgin unveils spaceship to offer space tourism
Dubai stock market slumps
'I'm A Celebrity' TV stars charged over rat risotto
British Grand Prix saved
More Most Viewed »
Global stocks mixed amid Dubai debt crisis
Tiny magnetic discs could kill cancer cells: study
Alcohol helps cut heart disease risk for men: study
Mankind using Earth's resources at alarming rate
Virgin unveils spaceship to offer space tourism
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Wednesday, 9 December 2009 Car bombs kill 112 in Baghdad attacks
Three dead in German plane crash: police
Mobile phones spreading in N. Korea: media
Obama announces new jobs push
Coordinated blasts hit Baghdad; kill at least 127
News Corp, Time, others detail e-standard venture
Pauly Shore Sues Brother Over Care Of His Mother
Ancestry site puts Hitler's war service online
Israeli official: Jewish law must become binding
Honduras' top anti-drugs official shot and killed
|
"Up In The Air" Voted Best Film By D.C. Film Critics
Students, militia clash in 2nd day of Iran protest
France's Sarkozy takes on Google in books dispute
Bryant Gumbel Reveals Lung Cancer Surgery
UK makes online safety lessons for kids compulsory
Iraq sets parliamentary elections for March 7
France's Sarkozy takes on Google in books dispute
|
Woman Rushed To The Hospital From Tiger Woods' House
Iraq vote to be held March 6: electoral commission
Mobile phones spreading in N. Korea: media
France's Sarkozy takes on Google in books dispute
|
Yahoo open to sell HotJobs for right price
|
McChrystal supports new strategy, drawdown
Obama envoy seeks NKorea's return to nuke talks
US settles royalty dispute with Indian tribes
Ancestry site puts Hitler's war service online
|
China school stampede kills 8 in crowded stairway
Watchdog calls for media freedom in Sri Lanka
Attorney general changing Alaska ethics rules
News Corp, Time, others detail e-standard venture
|
Thai jailed in Cambodia over Thaksin flight leak
Big storm targets Midwest with snow, wind
Japanese minister says talks on US base suspended
$7M awarded to victim's family in Ky. plane crash
Principal Forced To Take Down Christmas Tree For One Family
Ex-FBI director to examine Fort Hood
Obama Policy Strives To Bring Transparency To Governmental Functioning
Afghan gov't says NATO attack killed 6 civilians
SC first lady: I wouldn't have stood with governor
UPDATE: Hospital Officials Confrim Woods' Mother-In-Law Underwent Medical Treatment
China executes securities trader who hid millions
U.S. Envoy To North Korea Arrives in Pyongyang
Obama says energy projects put US back to work
16 missing after Bangladesh pirate attack
McDonald's Manager Fired For Not Hiring Transgendered Teen
Obama proposes ways to aid small business hiring
Obama Outlines Popular Program To Fight Unemployment, Other Fiscal Ills
Bear Attacks Woman 75
Students Suspended For 'Sexting'
Obama To Announce Employment Initiative In Tuesday Speech
ACORN Says Internal Review Found No Illegal Conduct In Videos
China urges 'reasonable' credit growth in 2010
Chinese auto sales lift luxury German brands
Vinyl's comeback makes musicians want to sing
|
TV's As The World Turns gets axe after 54 years
|
Bryant Gumbel says he has lung cancer
Chinese market boosts German luxury car sales
'Carmen': audience contests, critics admire
Paris Tour d'Argent wine auction takes million euros
Despite debt, it's show business as usual at Dubai film gala
Woods' mother-in-law in hospital with stomach pain
SC first lady: I wouldn't have stood with SC gov.
Ohio to execute inmate with single drug
`Boom Boom Pow,' Kings of Leon CD top 2009 iTunes
Gunfire greets US rebuilding team in Afghan mountains
EU deplores Turkey's failure to treat Cyprus properly
Google teams up with NY Times, Wash Post on 'Living Stories'
US agency suggests Christmas gifts for the disaster age
Iraqi leaders come under fire over Baghdad blasts
Drug war abuses by Mexican army rise sharply
|
US-TECH Summary
Qaeda claims it has French, Spanish hostages
Car bombs rock Iraqi capital, 112 killed
|
Ebay exec emails: Feign surprise to Craigslist
Greece under pressure to take budget action
Swedish FM takes aim at Belarus over student expulsion
Surge to break Taliban momentum in a year: US general
MySpace buys online music service imeem
Obama in new push to end 'tragedy' of unemployment
Gates: pieces coming together for Afghan success
|
Google releases Chrome browser for Macintosh computers
Turkey tense as court considers Kurd party's fate
Ohio executes inmate with single drug
Cisco going from Internet plumber to platform
US cancer rate declines: study
Dog survives Baghdad suicide bombing, owners die
U.S. online holiday spending up 3 percent: comScore
New Iran clashes as regime ups pressure on opposition leader
Tiger Woods drama a boost for : Bartz
Fitch downgrades Greek sovereign, bank debt
Some of the deadliest attacks in Iraq
Myanmar junta labels detained Suu Kyi dishonest
|
Yahoo open to sell HotJobs for right price
White House outlines blueprint for government transparency
China arrests 94 Xinjiang unrest fugitives
Malaysian, Thai PMs in key visit to troubled region
Ebay exec emails: Feign surprise to Craigslist
|
Cuban spies gets US prison terms reduced
For North Korea, giving up atomic weapons is a risk
Congress seeks compromise on GM, Chrysler dealers
China a bright spot on climate with green bulbs
Taiwan ex-dissidents remember democracy breakthrough
LA council set to vote on pot ordinance
Amnesty International To Philippine Government: Limit Martial Law and Disband Paramilitaries
U.S. online holiday spending up 3 percent: comScore
|
First lawsuit in China milk scandal delayed
One In Four Pregnant Filipinos Underweight: Survey
Coroner: Wis. murder suspect likely killed himself
Developing nations furious over Danish climate text
Some see divine sign in cow born at Conn. dairy
US envoy set for more talks in North Korea
Cheney: Trying 9/11 suspects in NYC 'huge mistake'
Antarctic nations consider new controls on ships
Police: Man dresses up as mom to withdraw cash
Calif. man again found guilty of killing officers
U.S. judge reduces sentences of two Cuban spies
Obama urges major new stimulus, jobs spending
Euro summit gets down to climate brass tacks
Japan Q3 growth revised down from 4.8 to 1.3pct
S.Korea's STX wins major Ghana housing deal
VW eyes stake in Japan's Suzuki: report
NZ govt to overhaul power sector to boost competition
Seoul shares turn up 0.4 pct on auto, tech issues
Taiwan dollar rebounds after c.bank moves
Korea Hot Stocks
S.Korean bonds rise on U.S. lead, downgrades
Colin Firth gets naked for A Single Man
|
Seoul shares open lower; banks, commods retreat
Billboard's one-hit wonders of the decade
|
Man vs. wave at Hawaii surfing tournament
Pink to headline 2010 Wireless festival in London
|
Los Angeles restricts medical marijuana outlets
Peas, Kings of Leon top iTunes best sellers of 2009
|
Burglary reported at Nicky Hilton's LA home
Lane Garrison writing one from the Heart
|
Autopsy finds overdose killed Springsteen's cousin
Bonnie Hunt Show folding
|
Music labels bet Vevo.com is next MTV
Deschanel, Ward reteam for follow-up album
|
Ansel Adams `Moonrise' print sold for $360K in NYC
Music labels bet Vevo.com is next MTV
|
Deschanel, Ward reteam for follow-up album
MTV's Jersey Shore gains protesters, loses ads
|
"Bonnie Hunt Show" folding
Raphael drawing sells for about $48M at UK auction
Edward Albee's 'Me, Myself & I' sets NY premiere
Principal Forced To Take Down Christmas Tree For One Family
McDonald's Manager Fired For Not Hiring Transgendered Teen
Bear Attacks Woman 75
Students Suspended For 'Sexting'
German trade surplus boost, inflation climbs
Iran: UN observatory near border is spy station
Abbas in Egypt says no deal yet on Israeli Shalit
|
Death toll rises to 121 in Russian nightclub fire
Iran to hit Israeli nuke sites if attacked: minister
|
Israel parliament to vote on land-for-peace law
Greece vows action on debt under peer pressure
|
Pakistan's Peshawar, epicenter of jihad
|
Iran frees three detained Belgians: report
Gates tells NATO troops Afghan success in reach
Violent protests shut down high-tech Indian city
|
Palestinians struggle to build in West Bank
|
Study: 2nd drug to treat cattle deadly to vultures
Philippine police: 161 suspects in massacre sought
Obama keeps focus on economy
Thousands in Indonesia protest over graft
Obama announcing $600M for health
Facebook redraws site's privacy boundaries
|
After 30 years, NJ quadriplegic hunter takes aim
China moves to indict top dissident for subversion
New York Man Rescued From Cesspool
Myanmar's Suu Kyi meets gov't liaison: official
Ohio serial killer suspect due in court
Recount In Atlanta Mayoral Race Begins
Giant iceberg spotted south of Australia
NYC concrete-testing trial set to start
Pregnant Palm Beach Woman Slips Into Coma, Dies From Swine Flu
Pakistan's Peshawar, epicentre of jihad
The nation's weather
Severe Winter Weather Bashes Most Of U.S.
China says it detains 94 who fled July rioting
Math Scores In Major U.S. Metro Cities Improve
Top China dissident faces subversion charge: lawyer
4 slain Wash. officers honored at memorial
Obama Leaves For Oslo Wednesday To Receive Nobel Peace Prize
Coakley Wins Democratic Primary; Poised To Become Massachusetts' First Woman Senator
Saudi 'deplores' Iran kidnapped scientist claim
Volkswagen to buy 20 percent of Suzuki for $2.5B
Pakistan rupee lower; o/n rates ease; stocks edge up
Currency change cripples N.Korea markets: report
Survey finds China key for global profitability
Debt-laden Nakheel takes big first half loss
French rocker Hallyday hospitalized in LA
Straight from Korean military zone: bottled water
School textbook highlights Iraq's Sunni-Shiite divide
Large natural gasfield discovered offshore China
The women who guard other women in conservative Egypt
NZ Oct retail sales flat, backs case for low rates
NZ fears tourism disaster in Antarctica
MTV's "Jersey Shore" gains protesters, loses ads
Lane Garrison writing one from the "Heart"
Rap and manga
China's Shaolin Temple rakes in cash and controversy
New York Man Rescued From Cesspool
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights