The police today advised the people against believing in a rumour that Malay versions of the Bible are to be burnt at the Bagan Luar town field in Butterworth on Sunday.

State Chief Police Officer Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi said the police had received a report from a priest about a leaflet on the matter placed in the letter box of a church on Jan 20.

"We ask the people not to believe the rumour or sensationalise the issue because it can undermine public order and disunite the people," he told reporters here.

Abdul Rahim warned that the police would act against the organiser and participants of any such event if it took place.

On the reported distribution of copies of the Bible to Muslim students in front of a school in Jelutong last Thursday, he said the police had recorded statements from 17 individuals.

"The investigation papers have been handed over to the public prosecutor for further action," he said.

Abdul Rahim said police investigation showed that the distributed copies of the Bible were in the English language and there was no use of the word "Allah" in any of them.

"So far, the police have received seven reports on the issue, four from students and the rest from members of the public," he said.

Meanwhile, in KOTA BAHARU, more than 50 people of Kampung Padang Enggang, among them several PAS supporters, today staged a demonstration in protest against the proposal by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to allow the word "Allah" to be used in the Malay version of the Bible.

The villagers carried banners, condemned Lim and stamped on the DAP flag, and their leader, Mohd Rosli Ghazali, 52, called on PAS to withdraw from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat pact.

"In the name of Islam, PAS should get out of Pakatan Rakyat," he said. The Pakatan Rakyat comprises PAS, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and DAP.

Mohd Rosli also called on all quarters to accept the decision of the PAS Ulama Council which prohibits the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims.

The issue cropped up after Lim, in his Christmas Day message last month, urged the federal government to allow the word "Allah" to be used in the Malay version of the Bible.

The PAS Ulama Council issued a ruling that the word "Allah" could not be used by non-Muslims to avert confusion. This was supported by PAS leaders, including president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and the party's spiritual leader, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.