(AFP) Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad today said Malaysia will not entertain a request from detained Philippines Muslim rebel leader Nur Misuari's family for a safe passage to a third country.

"The appeal by family members is not for us to determine because this is our undertaking that anybody involved in such activities, we will not give shelter," Mahathir was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

Mahathir said there was no shift in Malaysia's plan to deport renegade leader Misuari to the Philippines despite an appeal by his wife.

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo had said she expects Misuari, 60, to be repatriated from Malaysia on around Jan 15 to spare the Malaysian government the trouble of holding on to him.

Misuari's wife, Tarhata, 27, had said that Misuari opposed deportation to the Philippines and appealed to Mahathir and Arroyo to provide a safe passage for her husband.

Short-lived rebellion

Misuari, 60, was arrested on Nov 24 off Sabah after launching a short-lived rebellion in the southern Philippine island of Jolo.

The failed uprising was a futile attempt to derail elections that ended his five-year hold on the governorship of a Muslim self-rule region.

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo last week rejected an appeal from the Organisation of Islamic Conference for Misuari to be given sanctuary in a third country and instead vowed to put him on trial for rebellion.

Misuari is the former leader of the Muslim separatist group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which is recognised by the world Islamic body.

He is being held by police in Kuala Lumpur in an undisclosed location.

Malaysia also provided sanctuary to the MNLF, which pushed for an independent Muslim homeland in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, in the 1970s and 80s.