KL shuts door on talks with sect

KL shuts door on talks with sect

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): The Malaysian government yesterday said it would not hold talks with leaders of the outlawed Al Arqam Moslem sect and dismissed reports that an official had met with the controversial group in Thailand.

"The Al-Arqam has been banned and declared as deviationist. So why should we send officials to hold discussions with the movement?," asked Hamid Othman, deputy minister in Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's office.

News reports said Wednesday that Malaysia had sent an official to Thailand's northern Chiang Mai city for talks with leaders of Al Arqam, outlawed by Kuala Lumpur last week for threatening public order and spreading deviationist teachings.

The Malaysian official reportedly met with Al Arqam members on Wednesday in a bid to ease tensions.