JAKARTA, Dec. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- The Indonesian government supports the measures to be taken by the Thai government in settling conflict in the south of the country, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Friday.

    "We from the government of Indonesia welcome the decision takenby the Thai government to set up a commission of investigation, (considering it) as a positive step and expecting the commission would soon announce its result of investigation," ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa told a press briefing here.

    However, on Thailand's rejection to internationalize the problem in the forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN), Indonesia takes it as a better way to solve the problem, Natalegawa said.

    The Thai government insists on discussing the issue in bilateral talks with Indonesia or trilateral talks, which also involve Malaysia, he said.

    The spokesman said that the issue was discussed by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Thai Prime Minister ThaksinShinawatra on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Laos recently, then in trilateral talks involving Malaysia.

    "Indonesia sees that it was good to discuss the conflict (in south Thailand) in the forum of ASEAN in order to get perfect understanding from all ASEAN member countries about the conflict in the south of Thailand," he said.

    The spokesman said that Thailand had stated during the summit that it was ready to cooperate and share information about developments in its south.

    Natalegawa said that the three countries, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand insisted on jointly solving cross-border security problems, as the conflict in the south of Thailand is linked with the problem in the border of Malaysia and rebellion in Aceh province in Indonesia.

    "This has been acknowledged that there are many activities of arms smuggling to Aceh rebels (from the south of Thailand)," he added. Enditem