Abdullah Ahmad Badawi does not want any 'cover-up' in the investigations concerning a video clip depicting a woman, believed to be of Chinese origin, being forced to do ear squats in the nude while facing a policewoman.

Abdullah, who is also internal security minister, said he has told deputy inspector-general of police Musa Hassan to investigate the matter at once.

According to Bernama , the premier looked stern as he told reporters this at a press conference, which he personally called, at the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta.

"Let there be no cover-ups. No party should try and conceal the facts unearthed by the investigation," he said.

He added that an exhaustive investigation must be carried out as this incident is embarrassing to the police department.

"The seriousness on his face showed how disappointed he was with the incident," reported the national news agency.

Nation's image marred

Earlier, Deputy Premier Najib Abdul Razak pledged that those responsible for the incident will not be protected.

"It should not have happened. It has dealt a severe blow to our country's image," he said.

Najib said the police would conduct an in-depth investigation to establish what actually happened and if the incident was proven to be true, the government would take stern action against the people responsible.

He added that the prime minister and the cabinet also viewed the incident eriously as it could mar the nation's image and the integrity of the police force and the government.

According to him, forcing a person to strip naked was not part of the procedures in police investigations.

He said there was no reason for a person to be embarrassed in that manner.

Besides investigations and stern action, Najib said measures must be taken to restore the people's confidence in the police force following the incident.

He said the case would not have an impact on the East Asian Summit, to be hosted by Malaysia in two weeks, which would be attended by China.

"This is the first time there is video evidence. A thorough investigation must be carried out," he added.