Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today slammed rich countries for spending more money o­n war than o­n fighting diseases.

He called for research centres to be set up in developing nations to fight new diseases, as he warned of new illnesses that could emerge after the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) that has killed more than 640 people worldwide.

"As the genes undergo mutation, we don't know what is going to come up. The world's reaction is very haphazard. It is not coordinated," Mahathir told reporters after launching an ambitious bio-technology hub in Dengkil, a town just south of the capital.

"We have proposed that the world spend more money o­n research centres to deal with new diseases, particularly in developing countries," he said.

Rapid action centre

"Unfortunately, rich countries in the world are more interested in developing weapons of mass destruction to kill more and more people. They are not devoting that much time and resources to develop means to save lives.

"We hope somebody will help them to realise the wrongness of their ways and influence them to invest more in life-saving activities, rather than killing."

The veteran premier, who earlier this month announced Malaysia's plans to establish a disease research laboratory, said such facilities would act as a "rapid action centre" if a new disease emerges.

The use of bio-technology is crucial to develop new approaches and medicines to curb new diseases, he added.

BioValley Malaysia, a 2,000-acre former tin mine, hopes to provide 30,000 jobs with the creation of 250 new bio-technology firms. AFP