Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will visit Indonesia this week to receive an award from a Southeast Asian federation of engineering organisations, an Indonesian official said today.

Mahathir is scheduled to arrive in the ancient Central Java city of Yogyakarta at tonight, said foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa.

On Wedneday morning he will receive a "Distinguished Fellow Award" from the federation grouped under member countries of Asean (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

"This is a private visit. The PM will make brief remarks at the ceremony before leaving for East Timor on Wednesday afternoon," the spokesman said.

An official with the Indonesian Engineers Association, Lamhot Sinaga, said the award would be presented because Mahathir had helped "improve the profession of engineers particularly in Malaysia and in Southeast Asia in general."

Controversial remark

Mahathir, who retires at the end of this month after 22 years as premier, has overseen a series of huge infrastructure projects including the Petronas Towers, which for some years was the world's tallest building.

He will arrive from a summit in Bangkok of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, at which he came under pressure over his controversial remarks about Jews.

US President George W Bush pulled Mahathir aside at the summit Monday to denounce his "wrong and divisive" charge that Jews rule the world.

Mahathir's comments at last week's summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in Malaysia sparked outrage in some Western countries. - AFP