Kuala Lumpur, Mar. 10 : Indian nationals staying illegally in Malaysia have been advised to take up the Government's limited time offer to return home.

A Malaysia Nanban report quoted Suhakam commissioner N. Siva Subramaniam as saying that the offer includes going home without being jailed and a reduction in fines.

In a press statement, Siva urged them to approach the Yayasan Strategik Sosial office at the MIC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, the nearest Immigration or the state human resources department for help.

Kuala Lumpur. Mar. 8 : Malaysian Indians have found a new way to put forth their problems and express their views on latest the developments in the country.

A Yahoo discussion portal, malaysianindianclub. com (Miclub) has been receiving hundreds of hits with many postings regarding the Hindu Rights Action Force and the need for proper political representation to educational and job opportunities.

Miclub has about 10,000 members who have put together their efforts to create a business directory, collaborative group for information and communication technology professionals and a cooperative for Indian businesses.

Kuala Lumpur, Mar 7: A 60-year-old man, who was raised as a Christian but has a Muslim father, was declared non-Muslim by the local Sharia court.

Mohammad Shah, who was baptised as Gilbert Freeman, carried a Malay name on his identity card. He had sent a plea to the court to remove the incorrect name.

However, the application was rejected by judge Mohd Nadzri Abdul Rahman Ibrahim, who was satisfied and did not have any doubts that Shah was a non-Muslim before.

"I believe a name does not reveal a person''s religion, although it normally provides a picture of someone''s religion," the NST online quoted Nadzri, as saying.

Kuala Lumpur  - Malaysian police killed five armed Vietnamese nationals, believed to be robbers, in a Saturday shootout, a news report said.

The five were among eight men suspected of having robbed 11 Vietnamese workers at a hostel in the northern state of Kedah and were making their getaway to the neighbouring state of Penang in two cars.

Acting on a tip-off, police managed to stop one of the cars, resulting in a shootout, Penang police chief Wira Ayub Yaakob said.

Kuala Lumpur - Religious groups in Malaysia on Friday expressed outrage over a government ban on the use of the word "Allah", or God in Arabic, in any non-Muslim publication, saying the move was a violation on the freedom of religion.

In a statement released late Thursday, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism said the government had no legal right to ban the use of a word that predated the Koran and Islam.

Kuala Lumpur, Mar. 6 : Malaysian Police have dismissed allegations of a cover up of criminal culpability of police officers and men allegedly involved in, and leading to the death of suspected car thief A. Kugan.

Criminal Investigations Department director Mohd Bakri Zinin said such allegations were without foundation.

He said that in the past, a number of police officers were charged in court for similar offences.