The ongoing Dewan Rakyat meeting will be extended by two days to end on July 17 due to many unresolved business, announced Deputy Speaker Ronald Kiandee today.

Originally the present sitting, which started on June 23, was to end on July 15.

Kiandee announced to the Dewan at the start of today's proceeding that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had informed the Parliament on the need for the extension.

"This is to allow several bills and other unfinished matters to be settled," he said.

The present sitting is the second sitting of the Dewan Rakyat after the March 8 general election.

Underworld links denied

Meanwhile on another matter, the House was told that underworld links had no hand in financing the setting up of police beats which are located in shop houses.

Deputy Home Minister Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh said the these beat bases were paid for by the government.

"There is no truth to this claim. The shop lot beat bases are set up by the police through funding provided by the government."

"It is part of the effort to fight crime by setting up stations in town areas," he told Puad Zakarshi (BN-Batu Pahat).

Puad had earlier claimed that shop beat bases in commercial areas were paid for by "rich taukehs with connection to the underworld".

"This being the case, the police are said to be reluctant to take action against these people as they are sponsors of the police beat base," he said.