An opposition party today urged Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to form an independent inquiry into the alleged rape of a 13-year-old Filipino girl at a detention centre.

Loke Siew Fook, acting national secretary of the Democratic Action Party youth wing, said the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) should head the investigations to rectify the good image of Malaysia.

"I'm sure that all Malaysians will condemn this crime in the strongest terms if the allegation is proven true and it's a shame for the country," he said in a statement.

Mahathir yesterday pledged swift action after Philippine President Gloria Arroyo complained in a letter to him that the migrant girl had been raped, reportedly by a policeman at a detention centre.

"The Malaysian government and I personally view with serious concern the allegation made by a Filipino minor (named) that she was a victim of sexual molestation in one of the detention centres in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah," Mahathir said in a statement.