No action will be taken for the time being against editorial staff of Guangming Daily for publishing the controversial caricatures of Prophet Muhammad.

"We're waiting for the internal security ministry's reply first," said a Sin Chew Media Corporation spokesperson, who did not want to be named.

Sin Chew Media Corporation is the publisher of Guangming Daily and Sin Chew Daily . The company is owned by Sarawak-based timber tycoon Tiong Hiew King.

Top editors were summoned to meet the ministry's officials yesterday, after receiving a show-cause letter on Feb 10 for publishing a photograph of a reader holding a foreign newspaper containing the caricatures.

The ministry's control and publication of al-Quran text division secretary Abdul Rahim Mohd Radzi has reportedly said that the ministry was "satisfied" with the explanation given.

However, the spokesperson declined to elaborate on Abdul Rahim's statement.

On whether the daily had tendered an apology during yesterday's meeting, she said: "We went there to explain the situation, there was no discussion of an apology at all."

Statement issued

The company so far has only issued a statement on the issue, which was released via Bursa Malaysia yesterday.

It explained that inclusion of the photo - in a report headlined 'Danish papers insulting Muslims have apologised' - in the Feb 3 edition was inadvertent, and that it was flanked by another report on the need for the media "to show respect for all religions".

The management said it had also responded immediately to stop the presses when the photo was spotted, as well as to withhold printed copies and to recall those distributed to vendors.

On Feb 6, the paper had carried an editorial supporting the government's position on the caricatures, in that continued reproduction of the offensive items by the Western media "was an irresponsible act to provoke Muslims to react with rage".

"Guangming Daily wishes to clarify that at all times it had no intention to hurt the feelings of the Muslim community in this country. In fact, the articles were intended to uphold the need for the media to respect all religions," the statement concluded.

However the seven-paragraph statement did not mention any change within the board of directors or share listings, as is usual practice in announcements to Bursa Malaysia.

On this, the spokesperson brushed off speculation that it the announcement was a hint of a major management reshuffle.

"We felt that we had to inform our shareholders about the actual situation, that's why we sent the announcement through Bursa Malaysia," she added.

A source said yesterday that the daily appears to be 'safe' but could not provide details of the meeting in Putrajaya.

He said the Guangming management has informed staff by email not to believe rumours about the fate of the newspaper or to talk to outsiders about the issue.

They are also not expecting an editorial reshuffle or heads to roll over the matter, added the source.

The caricatures, first published in a Danish newspaper last September, have ignited worldwide protests and condemnation.

Last week, the Sarawak Tribune was slapped with an indefinite suspension for publishing the caricatures which have since been banned in Malaysia.