The government has no plans to tighten travel restrictions o­n visitors from China and Hong Kong despite increased Sars cases there, Acting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today.

China reported four new Sars deaths, bringing the toll to 86, and admitted hundreds more infections, while the death toll in Hong Kong rose to 94 after six more fatalities today.

Abdullah said there was no need to panic as the government was monitoring the situation closely and had strict controls for visitors entering the country.

"There must not be a knee-jerk reaction. We must not be hasty," he told reporters.

"We must at all times ensure there is confidence in the private sector and the public, in the way we manage the Sars crisis."

On April 9, Malaysia introduced visa requirements for visitors from Hong Kong and a temporary freeze o­n tourist arrivals from there and mainland China in a bid to block the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars).

The government later widened the restrictions to include Taiwan, Vietnam and Canada, all hit by the Sars virus, which has killed some 214 people worldwide and infected more than 4,000, mostly in Asia.

But it last week lifted the curbs for visitors from Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Tourists from China and Vietnam are also now allowed to enter Malaysia subject to medical certification and possession of a visa.

RM30 million spent

Health Minister Chua Jui Meng said today that the government has spent RM30 million to contain the spread of the Sars virus, excluding the cost of manpower.

Malaysia has reported six probable Sars cases, with o­ne confirmed death and two discharged.

The Health Ministry's deputy-director general Ismail Merican, who yesterday announced the possible Sars death of a 30-year old patient, said today that the man did not die of Sars but from heart disease.

The patient died April 17 after developing sudden breathing difficulties.

"He did not display any signs of pneumonia, infection ... in the lungs. His lungs were congested due to heart failure. He also had a swollen liver and spleen. So this case is not Sars," Ismail said.

He said a new suspected Sars case was reported yesterday and 18 people remained in hospitals nationwide for further tests. Malaysia has now recorded a total of 69 suspected cases and the six probable cases, including the o­ne death, according to a count kept by local journalists. - AFP