Indonesia's Pajajaran state university is to award an honorary doctorate in public policy to Malaysia's King Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin, a university spokesman said today.

Ade Kadarisman told AFP that a team of professors would award the doctorate because the king has "great credibility in the field of public policies."

The king will attend the awards ceremony at the university in the West Java city of Bandung on Saturday, he added.

Malaysia's king has largely ceremonial duties. He is also the Islamic leader in a number of Malaysian states and heads the military.