Malaysia's defense minister on Thursday rejected a ceasefire offer by a self-styled Philippine sultan unless his fighters who launched a deadly incursion "surrender unconditionally.”

"A unilateral ceasefire is not accepted by Malaysia unless the militants surrender unconditionally," Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on his Twitter feed.

Malaysian air and ground forces launched an assault on defiant Filipino intruders on Tuesday as the government moved to end a three-week incursion that had already killed 27 people.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said the government had no choice but to quell Malaysia's worst security crisis in years, sparked when militants invaded to claim the Malaysian state of Sabah for a self-styled Philippine sultan.

Two security officials died and 12 people were wounded in a blast in Thailand's restive south on Saturday, an army spokesman said, as unrest continued despite plans for talks with a key rebel group.

The bomb hidden in a motorcycle in Yala provincial town was aimed at paramilitaries who had been manning a nearby checkpoint, said southern army spokesman Colonel Pramote Promin. Six civilians were among the wounded.

Twelve followers of a self-described Philippine Sultan died in a shootout with Malaysian security forces Friday, police said, as tensions ratcheted up in their 17-day standoff.

Hamza Taib, police chief of the Malaysian state of Sabah, also said two security personnel were killed and that the standoff with the Filipino intruders continued, contradicting earlier official statements suggesting it was over.

Almost 6,000 Rohingya boat people fleeing communal violence in western Myanmar have illegally entered Thai waters since October, an army spokesman said Thursday.

Of the 5,899 Rohingya who entered Thai territory, 1,752 are now in Thai immigration holding centers, police stations or welfare shelters, according to the military's Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC).

Malaysians smeared with fake blood roamed a jungle range on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur Saturday in the Southeast Asian's country's first "zombie run".

One woman had an arrow in her hair made to look as if had pierced her skull while many others were wearing blood-smeared and torn t-shirts.

The death of a second Malaysian worker in the Algerian hostage crisis has been confirmed after his body was identified by his dental records and a tattoo, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

The man, Tan Ping Wee, had been unaccounted for since Islamist militants attacked the In Amenas gas plant in the north African desert on January 16.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak pledged solidarity with the Palestinians on his first trip to Gaza on Tuesday, and backed reconciliation efforts between Hamas and Fatah.

Najib, who entered via the Rafah crossing from Egypt along with his Foreign Minister Anifah Aman and other officials, was met by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya.

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed the first papal ambassador to Muslim-majority Malaysia, 18 months after the two sides established diplomatic relations, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Friday.

The move comes amid continued tensions between Christians and Muslims in the Southeast Asian nation.

Malaysia has been rated the world's top Muslim-friendly holiday destination in a survey released Wednesday that listed Egypt, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Singapore as runners-up.

The study by Singapore-based Muslim travel consultancy Crescentrating ranked countries on how well they cater to the growing number of Muslim holidaymakers seeking halal -- or Islam-compliant -- food and services.