Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called for a comprehensive study into the causes behind the formation of militant groups and why they commit terrorist acts, a cabinet member has revealed.

The premier, who took over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad last week, made the request while he was chairing his first meeting of the National Security Council, Defence Minister Najib Razak was quoted as saying today.

"The Prime Minister also wants a study to be conducted to find the source of influence that caused the militant groups to resort to terrorism," he told the Bernama news agency.

Satisfied with security

Malaysia is holding without trial more than 90 alleged Muslim militants, most of them accused of membership in the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) regional terror network.

While Malaysia itself has not been hit by terrorist attacks, two Malaysians, Azahari Husin and Noordin Mohammad Top, have been named as prime suspects in JI bombings in Bali and Jakarta in neighbouring Indonesia.

They are being hunted by Indonesian police after narrowly escaping arrest last week at a hideout in the West Java city of Bandung.

Najib said, however, that Abdullah was satisfied with the security situation in the country.

"The security situation in the country is good," he said.- AFP