De facto Law Minister Rais Yatim warned today that the government would not hesitate to act against foreign magazines which disparage the image of the country.

"We will continue to monitor the publications and will not hesitate to take action against those who do not report the truth," Rais told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

Rais, who is minister in the Prime Minister's department, said the government through the Home Ministry will continue to monitor these foreign magazines and action will be taken under the Printing Presses and Publication Act against errant publications.

However, the minister commended Time magazine for apologising for its controversial reports on Malaysias links to international terrorism, adding that, "It is a good move. This shows a change in their attitude towards the country."

The government has earlier said it was "satisfied" with the apology from Time and would not take legal action against the international publication for an article which allegedly tarnished the country's image.

Terrorist hub

Time's Feb 11 issue carried reports claiming that Malaysia was a regional financial and planning hub linked to Osama bin Ladens al-Qaeda terrorist network.

In the same issue, the international magazine also carried a cover picture depicting a pair of crossed automatic rifles with the Malaysian flag as the backdrop.

Tourism Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said he received a letter dated Feb 28 which stated the magazine apologised for any "problem which could have been created" by its reports.

Last month, the government blocked the distribution of three international news magazines, including Time, apparently out of displeasure over their coverage of issues including Islam and terrorism.

At least four issues of Time, Newsweek and Far Eastern Economic Review had been withheld for "inaccurate and untrue reporting of the situation in Malaysia", said Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung.

The government, however, denied any crackdown on foreign publications, with the home minister's press secretary Rohaizad Abdul Rahim telling AFP that the delays in releasing the magazines could be due to many reasons.