Tourists are not being scared away from visiting Malaysia in the aftermath of the mass rally organised by Hindu Rights Action Force on Nov 25.

Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said that, so far, there has been no cancellation of tour packages to Malaysia.

"We have activated a special unit to monitor the situation and will inform our tour operators overseas of developments," he was quoted as saying in Bernama .

"We have told them that the situation is safe despite the foreign media blowing the issue out of proportion."

The rally, attended by about 30,000 people, brought the usually busy Jalan Ampang to a standstill for almost six hours.

Many tourists had apparently complained of discomfort and fear in seeing a strong police presence - including the anti-riot squad - coupled with the large number of protesters in the popular tourist enclave.

The rally caused many shopping centres, including the KLCC, to remain closed that day. Some tourists were also stuck in their hotels and were said to have missed their flights as a result.

The Hindraf rally was declared illegal by the police who used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd.

Hindraf had wanted to submit a memorandum to the British High Commission to seek the assistance of the Queen in appointing a Queen's Counsel for them in their legal action against the British government for forcibly bringing Indians to Malaysia.

Hindraf has claimed that the Indian Malaysian community has been marginalised and not given equal opportunities by the government.

Indonesian claims

On another matter, Tengku Adnan also said that his ministry will stop using cultural performances originating from Indonesia in its tourism promotion activities.

This was as a result of a controversy raised by cultural activists from Indonesia.

Last week, they demonstrated outside the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta, disparaging Malaysia for what purportedly promoting an Indonesian dance as part of the Malaysian culture.

The Indonesian media has also been critical of Malaysian songs and dances performed at official functions and over television, claiming these belong to the republic.

Tengku Adnan said he had received letters from the Indonesian foreign ministry and culture and tourism ministry which pointed out that the Endang dance (which is popular in Negri Sembilan) performed by a Malaysian entourage in Osaka recently is Indonesian in origin.

He said he was prepared to join a committee involving Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim which would discuss the controversy with Indonesian State Minister for Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik.