The police is prepared to cooperate and share information with the Ministry of Higher Education in efforts to curb the influence of terrorist elements in campus, said Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Musa Hassan.

"This is a serious problem and we will propose several effective measures that must be given attention in order to tackle the problem," he said when contacted.

He said that at the meeting with the ministry later, he would also explain that the students' involvement in militant activities was very serious as it involved national security.

"We are hoping for feedback from the ministry especially in efforts to coordinate the type of cooperation needed to tackle the problem," Musa said.

He was recently reported to have said that foreign members of the JI were found to be trying to reactivate their struggles by recruiting youths in this country, including students in tertiary institutions.

The matter came to light following the detention of 10 JI members since early this year and they had been repatriated to the country of their origin for legal action.

To date, they had recruited between 20 and 30 university students who were easily influenced after attending the ceramah held by this group.

Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom said the activities of Malaysian students in the Middle East were constantly monitored to prevent them from being involved in militant activities.

Besides the monitoring, the Islamic Affairs Division in the Prime Minister's Department was also cooperating with the Ministry of Higher Education, Wisma Putra, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports in tackling the matter.

"We discuss how to look after these students so that we have a consensus on the monitoring," he told reporters after a gathering with the media at the Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur today.

Najib: tighten security

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak wants authorities to tighten security to prevent Jemaah Islamiah (JI ) from influencing students and taking root in the country.

He said the spread of JI ideology, if unchecked, would pose a threat to national security.

"We must be wary of JI threat to recruit students. They can be coerced into committing violence by militant and (extremist) thinking," he said after a Pemimpin Bersama Rakyat programme at Wat Matchimmaram, Kampung Jubakar near Tumpat, Kelantan, today.

Najib said it was proven that JI spread not only among students but also lecturers.

"A lecturer involved with JI had been known to explode bombs. We have to tighten security via intelligence reports to check the menace," he added.

- Bernama