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.