A prominent Malaysian businessman was arrested by the Indonesian police for allegedly smuggling timber from Indonesia's West Papua province, also known as Irian Jaya.

According to a Bernama report today, the businessman identified o­nly as "M" was detained early this week in Sorong, a town o­n the western side of the island.

M was said to be a well-known corporate figure with a wide range of business interests and owned hotels and malls in Australia.

However, West Papua police chief Inspector-General Budi Utomo did not reveal any other details.