Malaysian and Thai authorities would investigate into the hoisting of Malaysian national flags in a series of latest disturbances in Southern Thailand, a Malaysian senior minister said Sunday.

Malaysian Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said his government viewed the incident seriously, and the Home Ministry will launch a probe into the matter with its Thai counterpart.

Insurgents staged a series of symbolic attacks in Thailand’s Muslim dominated South on Friday, burning Thai National Flags while Malaysia’s Jalur Gemilang were raised. The attacks came when the Malaysians celebrating their 55th anniversary of independence from British rule.

Hishammuddin denied to provide any further details relating to the incident, saying what behind the hoisting of Malaysian flags remained unknown.

"This involves cross border criminal activities and we have a special unit to investigate the incident," he was quoted as saying by local Star newspaper.

Insurgents staged 102 violent incidents, including five bomb attacks that wounded six security officials, in the deep South last Friday.

Commander of the Fourth Army Area based in Pattani Lt General Udomchai Thammasarojrat meanwhile said the widely reported recent killing of four soldiers was intended to send a message to the international community that Thai authorities had lost control of the deep South.

The attack also signalled the overall separatist battle was nearly won.

The insurgents intended the incidents to incite hatred between Thai and ethnic Malay people while painting a bad image of Thailand in the eyes of its neighbours and generally promoting their cause, he said.