Malaysia accused of stealing song

Jakarta: The catchy song in Malaysia's Truly Asia overseas tourism promotion campaign has hit the wrong note with neighbour Indonesia.

The Indonesians have accused the Malaysians of stealing the song - Rasa Sayang, or Feeling of Love - from them and are now considering suing.

Indonesian tourism and cultural minister Jero Wacik said on Wednesday he was investigating whether Indonesia could claim copyright and had scheduled a meeting with legislators, one of whom has called for legal action against Kuala Lumpur.

"Our two nations come from the same stock, so our songs are sung in Malaysia and the other way around, but for commercial use, ethically there should be a legal notice," Wacik told reporters.

"In this case there was none because they (the Malaysians) said they have sung it for ages."

The two countries share Islam as their main religion and have close cultural links with similar national languages.

Indonesian House of Representatives member Hakam Naja said Jakarta should consider action against Malaysia for using Rasa Sayang in its Truly Asia radio, television and online tourism commer cials.