Saudi Arabia has given its support for Malaysia's idea to an international conference on terrorism, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today.

"The Saudi government has expressed their stand against terrorism and they have fully supported the Malaysian government's idea of having the conference," said Abdullah after officiating the World Habitat Day in Subang.

Abdullah, who has just returned from a four-day trip to Saudi Arabia recently, said that the United Nations would be the best organisation to initiate the conference.

The anti-terrorism conference was mooted by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the wake of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the US, which claimed over 6,500 lives.

US authorities have singled out Saudi-born Osama bin Laden as being responsible for the attacks, and are currently planning retaliatory strikes against the alleged terrorist's camps in Afghanistan and the ruling Taliban regime for harbouring him.

Abdullah, who is also the home minister, told reporters that although cooperation within the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) was good, they must exchange information on suspected terrorists in the region.

"We must know who are those people who will create problems," Abdullah said.

Last Tuesday, in a two-year detention order signed by Abdullah himself, suspected members of the Malaysian Mujahideen Group (KMM) were sent to the Kamunting Detention Centre under the Internal Security Act.

Alleged involvement

Among those sent were PAS members, including Nik Adli, son of the Kelantan Mentri Besar and PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

The home minister confirmed that nine of them had been sent to Kamunting, while one was placed under the Restricted Residence Act and confined to the state of Johor.

Abdullah said that the police was still investigation a KMM splinter group, K3M, which the police believed is responsible for a spate of bank robberies, the bombing of a church and a temple, and the assassination of a Barisan Nasional state assemblyman.

Earlier, while speaking to a crowd of 6,000 residents of the Lembah Subang Public Housing Estate, he advised the residents not to hold on to a 'third-world mentality'.

"We must be careful to maintain the level of vandalism here and everybody must remain responsible.

"We must know how to maintain the facilities given so that everybody may live in comfort," he said.

He added that the authorities were also responsible for the maintenance.

Also present at the ceremony were Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting, his deputy M Kayveas and Selangor Mentri Besar, Mohamed Khir Toyo.