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.