More lecturers at local universities are expected to be arrested by police over their alleged involvement in militant activities, a report said today.

"It's coming," deputy education minister Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times when asked whether more university lecturers or students would be detained.

The newspaper quoted Malaysia's police chief Norian Mai as saying that investigations were ongoing to track down members of the Malaysian Mujahidin Group (KMM).

Malaysia says the KMM is a group of local Islamic militants trained in Afghanistan to overthrow the government by force.

He said police were trying to establish the real identities of some 200 of them as many had used nicknames to escape arrest and some may have left the country.

Between Dec 9 and Jan 24, more than 30 people including several lecturers allegedly involved in the KMM had been detained without trial under the Internal Security Act allowing for indefinite detention.

'Ungrateful people'

Abdul Aziz said the ministry was saddened with the involvement of lecturers in anti-government activities.

"The government spent a substantial sum of money to enable them to pursue their post-graduate studies overseas. They were even allowed to take their family, paid for by the government," he said.

"However, these people are ungrateful. After what the government has done for them, they are going against the government simply because they think they are right and the government is always wrong."

The government knew who these lecturers were but they make-up less than one percent of the country's 270,000 teachers, he added.