Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak pledged on Monday that his country would provide possible assistance to Thailand to find a long-term peaceful solution in its restive southern region.

Najib reassured his visiting Thai counterpart, Yingluck Shinawatra, in a joint press conference that Malaysia agrees the handling of issues related to Thailand's southern region is a domestic matter of the country, and calls on the people living in the areas to "reject violence and extremism."

Since the resurgence of insurgency in 2004, more than 10,000 violent incidents staged by secessionists hit Thailand's Muslim- dominant southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, killing almost 5,000 people, injuring nearly 8,000 others.

The Malaysian prime minister said the people in Thailand's southern provinces should be given more economic opportunities and greater say in education, religion and cultural matters. "Malaysia stands to assist Thailand on request in whatever ways possible, so that there will be a long-term peace solution in the South," Najib said.

Thailand was Malaysia's second largest trading partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN), with bilateral trade totaling 22.95 billion U.S. dollars in 2011.

"The total trade between the two country is on a very good trajectory, and we would like to encourage that growth to continue, " Najib said, and Malaysian and Thailand are seeking further economic cooperation in automotive industry, management of rubber industry, food security, energy security and tourism.

Yingluck, who was on the first official visit to Malaysia since she assumed office, said the two countries plan to strengthen cooperation including the enhancement of security along the common border.

Yingluck had originally planned to visit Malaysia last October but postponed it to combat the massive flood in Thailand.