State-owned Malaysia Airlines may drop an advertising campaign in Business Week after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad alleged that the magazine threatened him, the official Bernama news agency reported today.

"Malaysia Airlines is reviewing and deferring its media needs with Business Week," Malaysia Airlines senior general manager for corporate services Mohamadon Abdullah was quoted as saying.

He declined to elaborate, and an airline spokeswoman told AFP she had nothing to add to the comment.

Although Malaysia Airlines did not disclose the value of its advertising campaign in Business Week, Bernama said it was believed to be worth about RM1.52 million (US$400,000).

Mahathir said last week the magazine's Singapore correspondent had sent him a threatening letter in an attempt to gain an interview.

48 hours to respond

The journalist gave the prime minister less than 48 hours to respond to allegations of cronyism and corruption in Malaysia, saying he was working on a "sensitive" article on Mahathir's retirement next month after 22 years in power, the New Straits Times reported.

"They wanted to interview me but I have no wish to be interviewed by Business Week because the last time they did it they told a lot of lies," Mahathir was quoted as saying.

"So now they have sent me a letter threatening me that if I don't see them or respond to their allegations they are going to write all sorts of nonsense and nasty things about cronyism, oppression, dictatorship and all that."

Business Week is published in New York by McGraw-Hill Companies. - AFP