Malaysian police in eastern Sabah state have beefed up security along its coast to prevent any possible intrusion by militants from the neighbouring Philippines, a report said Friday.

The move comes as the Philippines government launched a massive manhunt in the southern island of Mindanao, where some 40 Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants are reported to be on the run.

"We are on the alert... our men patrolling the sea off Sandakan and Tawau and those stationed on the islands off the coast have been told to be on alert," Sabah deputy police chief Iliyas Ibrahim was quoted as saying by the Malay Mail.

Operations at sea

"The police and Malaysian Navy are conducting operations along the bordering sea to prevent the suspects from entering the state," he said.

Malaysia has deployed some 1,200 security personnel, including soldiers and police, to Sabah on the island of Borneo in the past week, the paper said.

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo on Friday said the al-Qaeda-linked JI terror group has replaced local insurgent groups as the country's top security threat. - AFP