TOKYO, May 24 ― Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Malaysia's politics and economy will not be affected by the crisis in Thailand, following Thursday's coup.

The former prime minister said since independence, Malaysians had been law-abiding citizens.

“I don't think it (the current crisis in Thailand) has any effect because this has happened many times in Thailand (previously), but (there has been) no effect on Malaysia,” he said.

“The Malaysian people strongly uphold the law...certainly, there is no attempt to topple the government,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said this at a media conference in conjunction with a seminar on investment and business opportunities in Kedah, organised by the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) here today.

Going by reports, the conflict in Thailand was stirred by protests over a government-backed Amnesty Bill that could have extended a pardon to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and opened the door for his return to Thailand.

In another development, Dr Mahathir hoped the long-standing territorial dispute over the South China Sea between China and Vietnam could be resolved through negotiations.

“There should be negotiations. I am very much against war because war will not solve this problem. Even if one country is able to defeat the other, there will be continuous tension,” he said.

Tension broke out after Beijing shifted its oil platform in the South China Sea to an area also claimed by Hanoi. ― Bernama