(AFP) The Malaysian government has cancelled the licences of five publications since 1999 for "articles prejudicial to national security" and other reasons, an official said today.

Some articles also breached accepted moral values, said home (interior) ministry parliamentary secretary Abu Zahar Isnin.

He told the Senate that those who lost the licences had transferred control of the publications to other interests.

Opposition politicians say the ministry uses its sweeping powers to curb anti-government comment.

The Printing Presses and Publications Act makes the publication of "malicious news" punishable by jail terms and empowers the ministry to license publications and restrict circulation.

Last year the government severely curbed the circulation of the opposition party newspaper Harakah .

Opposition politicians and journalists also criticise ownership of the media by political parties.

Political control

The second largest party in the ruling coalition confirmed yesterday its investment arm was taking over a group that publishes two Chinese-language dailies, Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press .

Ling Liong Sik, head of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) which already controls the mass-selling English paper The Star , said it would not use its control over the Chinese dailies to interfere in editorial aspects.

"I think the public have a fair idea of the kind of non-interference that MCA practises," Ling said.

The opposition Democratic Action Party criticised the deal.

"One of the factors undermining a free, independent and responsible press is the political ownership of the media in the country, which has already become too rampant," it said in a memorandum to the human rights commission.

Interests which are close to the ruling United Malays National Organisation control the New Straits Times and its sister paper, the Malay-language Berita Harian .