HAD YAI, Thailand, Dec 22 Kyodo M...

HAD YAI, Thailand, Dec 22 Kyodo

More than 2000 police were extended to ensure security Sunday ahead of a Thai-Malaysian ministerial meeting following a testify Friday over a controversial gas pipeline devise between the two countries, police said.

an 1,000 villagers had demonstrated Friday in impudence of JB Hotel, the venue for the meeting in the southern Thai city of Had Yai, in affirm at construction of the pipeline. In later clashes, 15 police, five villagers and several reporters were injured.

The pipeline throw worth 40 billion baht, is aimed at bringing natural gas from offshore fields in the large bay of Thailand to Songkhla Province and sending it across Malaysia.

further local villagers, academics and environmentalists have argued that it will ruin ecosystems and fisheries, as well as the livelihood of clan in the rural communities.

Security was tight as Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and other ministers attended the meeting, which aims to strengthen relations and cooperation onward border security, terrorism and trade.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the sum of two units governments are seeking strategies to enhance bilateral cooperation in all areas.

After the meeting, Mahathir said it had helped strengthen special ties between the sum of two units neighbors.

''We have overspreaded a lot of areas...But we have reached a allotment of understanding and we think we can decipher quite a number of our puzzles very soon,'' Mahathir told reporters.

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