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Each country sent 50 troops to the 17-day exercise that will conclude on September 19, the IANS news agency reported.

The joint exercise codenamed "Maitree" - meaning "friendship" in both Hindi and Thai - is aimed at enhancing coordination and cooperation between the two armed forces in the areas of defence and security.

It is the first-ever exercise between the armies under a bilateral security cooperation pact.

Defence officials said the focus area for the Royal Thai Army was to take tips from their Indian counterparts on fighting militancy and terrorism.

The Thai army is battling secessionist Islamic rebels who want to carve out an independent state comprising three Muslim-dominated southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani. The unrest has cost more than 1,800 lives since January 2004.

The Indian army has long experience in fighting separatist Muslim rebels in Himalayan Kashmir and nearly 40 local militant outfits in the country's north-east for over three decades.

"The exercise will help us in launching operations against insurgents in our own country. In the joint exercise we are sharing the Indian Army's experience in dealing with the insurgents," Lieutenant Colonel Vinai Pimai of the Royal Thai Army told the IANS.

An important part of the exercise is to train soldiers in carrying out counter insurgency operations in urban areas. Troops were also practicing basic drills including small team tactics, which are essential for successful counter-insurgency operations.

A joint training in rock assault, rappelling and slithering from helicopters was conducted as a method of quick insertion for successful operation in the urban scenario, the news agency reported.

According to defence analysts, such military collaboration formed a crucial component of India's "Look East" policy under which it seeks to consolidate ties with its fast-growing eastern neighbours.

India has also established maritime cooperation with a number of ASEAN members including Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and the Philippines.

In the past few years, a number of countries including the United States have been conducting military exercises with India to pick up tips in fighting insurgency.

US Marines are due to conduct joint exercises at the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in India's north-eastern state of Mizoram later in September.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur