Sydney  - Australian government officials responded to public anger Tuesday by opposing the release of the Malaysian killer of world-renowned heart transplant surgeon Victor Chang.

New South Wales Corrective Services Minister John Robertson said he would try to have next month's release of Phillip Lim Choon Tee blocked.

Lim is shortly to end his minimum 18-year jail sentence, after which he is likely to be deported to Malaysia.

"I'm not clear as to why the parole authority has made this decision," Robertson said.

Chang, 54, was shot dead in a bungled extortion attempt by Lim and Australian national Liew Chew Seng in 1991.

Liew and Lim were sentenced to 26 and 24 years, respectively.

Lim will have served his minimum sentence early next month.

The murder of China-born Chang shocked the nation. He had performed 260 heart transplant operations and was head of heart surgery at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital. (dpa)