The agreement was reached on Tuesday at a meeting in Songkhla between Fourth Army Region commander General Viroj Buajaroon and Lt-General Zulkifli bin Mohammad Zin, the Malaysian regional commander.

The extension would more than quadruple the length of the existing three kilometre-long fence near Songkhla's Sadao district and opposite Malaysia's Kedah state.

Representatives of the two countries will meet again today to work out details of the project.

The countries also agreed to increase routine patrols along the border and share securityrelated information.

Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has proposed extending the existing border wall by 27 km to improve security in the deep South and prevent the flow of illegal workers across the common border. - the nation