Former Malaysian premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has urged tsunami survivors in Indonesia's battered Aceh province to stand on their own feet, rather than become reliant on foreign aid.

Mahathir, speaking after Friday prayers at the main mosque in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, said the Acehnese should gradually shed their dependence on outside help and start to rebuild their shattered lives.

"This disaster has prompted many countries in the world to provide abundant assistance," he said.

"But now we have the chance to do something because obviously we don't want to depend on other people's help forever. We have to do our best."

The 80-year-old former leader, who retired in October 2003 after 22 years in power, also appealed to others in the Islamic world to take control of their future.

Same background

"In many places, Muslims are being oppressed and it is our obligation to change our own destiny. Allah will not change someone's destiny unless he himself makes efforts to change it," he said.

Mahathir said Malaysians would continue to help Acehnese because the communities shared the same historical background.

Malaysia, where 68 people were killed by the December 26 earthquake and giant waves, had been shielded from the full force of the disaster by the Indonesian province, he said.

Malaysia has been a major supplier of aid to Indonesia in the wake of the tsunami which is believed to have killed more than 238,000 people in and around Aceh. - AFP