Yangon  - Myanmar's military supremo Senior General Than Shwe met with Thailand's army-commander-in-chief who is on an official visit to discuss border issues and the Rohingya refugee problem, state media reports said Wednesday.

Than Shwe, chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, met Thai Army Commander-ion-Chief General Anupong Paojinda and his "goodwill delegation" Tuesday at the Myanmar's military's new capital of Naypyitaw, 350 kilometres north of the former capital of Yangon, The New Light of Myanmar daily reported.

Also present at the meeting were Myanmar's army, navy and air force commanders, Defence Minister General Thura Shwe Mann and Foreign Affairs Minister Nyan Win, the government daily said.

Before traveling to Myanmar Tuesday, Anupong said he expected to discuss border issues and the Rohingya boat people problem.

The Thai military is under investigation for allegedly forcing an estimated 1,000 Rohingya boat people back to sea last December in boats without engines or sufficient food and water supplies.

Rohingya survivors claimed to have been beaten and tied up by Thai navy personnel before being towed out to sea to die.

The incident has proven a major embarrassment for the government of newly appointed Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who has also called for a regional solution to the refugee problem.

The Rohingya are Muslim minority group living in the Arakan State of western Myanmar.

Myanmar's military-run government has refused to grant the Rohingya citizenship, claiming they are not on the list of the country's 135 recognized ethnic minority groups.

The regime claims that the Rohingya are of Bangladeshi decent and should return to Bangladesh. There are about 250,000 Ronhingya living in refugee camps in Bangladesh, where they have also been refused citizenship.

As stateless people with no rights to work or own land, thousands of Rohingya risk their lives to seek work in neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, where they are increasingly unwelcome as the economic downturn worsens.

There are diplomatic moves to grant the Rohingya refugee status in those countries, making them eligible for resettlement to third countries, but some fear it will create a "magnet effect" and attract thousands more refugees to temporary camps South-East Asia when there are only slim prospects of resettlement abroad for them. (dpa)