Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has threatened the arrest of people who stir unrest by spreading "rumours" via SMS and the Internet, reports said today.

Abdullah said the government would monitor websites and blogs for seditious or slanderous material, which he said could undermine the country.

"We cannot allow the Internet or Short Messaging Service (SMS) to become a platform for people to spread rumours or threaten others," Abdullah was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times.

"If blogs and SMS are used to spread false reports which can cause disharmony and destabilise the economy, those responsible should be detained and questioned to find out why," he said in comments carried by Bernama.

Abdullah's warning comes amid concern over growing racial and religious tensions in the mainly Muslim nation after a series of religion-related court cases, including a high-profile case of a woman who renounced Islam.

Strict self-censorship

A coalition of activists is arguing that Malaysians have the constitutional right to freedom of religious practice, but conservative Muslims are angry over what they see as a threat to Islam.

Abdullah last week asked the coalition to stop holding public forums on the constitution and called for a halt to the discussion of religious issues.

The Malaysian media tends to practise strict self-censorship, and Malaysian news websites and blogs are well-known for providing alternate views to mainstream news coverage.