Malaysia today said the US's renewed warning to its nationals against visiting the Southeast Asian state was uncalled for and unfair as it did not accurately reflect the country's security situation.

"I don't see why they have to issue this warning," Defence Minister Najib Razak was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

"If you are talking about the possibility of terrorist attacks, there are security risks anywhere. The fact is, the security risk in Malaysia is much lower than in developed countries including in Europe and the US itself," he said.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday questioned the latest warning issued by the US, saying it was more dangerous to be in the US than Malaysia.

"I'd like to remind them that the attack o­n the World Trade Centre was o­n American soil, not here. So America is much more dangerous than Malaysia," Mahathir said.

Always prepared

Najib said Malaysia has always been prepared for terrorist threats -- even before the September 11 attacks in the US -- and had arrested suspected members of militant groups.

"Following the threat of attacks by the Abu Sayyaf group in southern Philippines and Sabah, we deployed more security officers in the area," he said.

Malaysian government officials have dismissed the latest US advisory, saying there was no indication of possible attacks and that adequate security measures were in place.

The US advisory, an extension of a previous statement issued in November, said Washington remained concerned about possible terrorist attacks in Malaysia, especially in eastern Sabah state where members of the banned Jemaah Islamiyah group, linked to al-Qaeda, have been active.

It called o­n US citizens in Malaysia, particularly those planning to visit Sabah, to "exercise extreme caution."

70 detained

It also said the threat of attacks similar to the bombing o­n Indonesia's Bali island, which killed more than 200 people last October, existed throughout Southeast Asia, pointing to the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf Islamic group as another source of danger.

In November Mahathir said the US warning disregarded Malaysia's cooperation in the anti-terror war. It has detained more than 70 suspected Islamic militants.

Malaysia was among several Southeast Asian states which bristled at a series of US travel warnings last year, upset that their portrayal as possible sites for terror attacks could damage their economies and vital tourism industries. - AFP