Acting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today that Malaysia will not close its border checkpoint with Singapore in efforts to stop the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars).

Bernama

quoted him as saying that closing the checkpoint would o­nly raise more problems because thousands of Malaysians commute daily to the republic to work.

"What is important is to have appropriate controls to tackle the disease," he told reporters in Penang today.

He was responding to a question o­n whether the government will close the border checkpoint with the republic to contain the deadly disease which was reported to have killed five people and infected 100 more in Singapore.

Sharing information

"The details (for closing the checkpoint) must be studied not so much for the sensitivities involved but because many citizens of this country commute to work in the republic.

"This disease recognises no borders, and with so many Malaysians and Singaporeans commuting between the two countries, it can cause problems because we don't know whether they are carrying the disease," he said.

Abdullah said that in his meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong yesterday, they discussed the need for cooperation between the two countries to contain the disease.

The Singapore government offered to share its information, research findings and experience o­n fighting the disease with Malaysia, he said.

"We are also willing to share our experience o­n controlling the disease with the republic as such cooperation will benefit the governments and peoples of both countries," he added.

Use fund properly

Meanwhile, Abdullah, who is also Home Minister, said the government did not encourage Malaysians to go to Iraq.

Asked to comment o­n reports that the citizens of several countries had been sent to Iraq for the purpose of jihad (holy war), he said that these people actually went there o­n their own.

Abdullah said the government had not sent any of its citizens or troops to Iraq but would channel humanitarian aid through the Iragi People's Humanitarian Fund.

"We cannot stop them if they go o­n their own but I don't encourage them to go and we have not sent any people or soldiers to Iraq," he said.

Abdullah also expressed the hope that all contributions would be properly channeled to the Iraqis so that the people would not question where their money went.