Tourism Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir has called for tourist-cheating taxi drivers to be shot dead, likening them to "traitors and communists", reports said Tuesday.

In an outburst against cabbies who are found to over-charge or mistreat their customers, Abdul Kadir said they were the "new enemies of our country, the same as communists" and should be shot.

"I am not joking. This is a serious matter. If they can be shot, all the better," he was quoted as saying by the Malay-language Berita Harian daily.

"I will suggest it to the other ministers (during cabinet meeting), but I don't know if they will accept it."

Abdul Kadir said his ministry would also call for lesser, but equally harsh, forms of punishment, including jailing and a lifetime suspension of the taxi license.

Advantage seekers

He was commenting on a report that some 70 percent of cab drivers in the capital Kuala Lumpur were prone to taking advantage of tourists by not using standard meters or by taking long routes.

Malaysia's booming tourism industry has embarked on major promotional campaigns around Asia and the Middle East.

The government recorded a total of 12.8 million tourists in 2001, its highest ever and a 25 percent increase year-on-year, despite experiencing a temporary drop in arrivals after the Sept 11 attacks.

Last year visitors spent a total of RM24.2 billion, 39 percent more than in 2000, ensuring that tourism remained Malaysia's second biggest foreign exchange earner, after the manufacturing sector. AFP