Malaysia's prime minister wants coppers to troll the Internet to crack down on a craze by bloggers to hang the national flag upside down.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, accused the bloggers of creating trouble and indulging in uncouth behaviour. All this upside down flag-flying was not merely mischievous but also a malicious act, he said. A spokesman for the police said no instructions for a crackdown have been received, and it was not clear whether Abdullah was only issuing a veiled threat.

Syed Aziz started the craze when he urged other Internet writers to display the flag upside down to show their displeasure with the country's political and economic problems. Malaysian authorities have arrested several bloggers over the past two years for sedition and other offences.

Syed Azidi said he had no intention of insulting the flag but wanted to highlight the plight of Malaysians hit by problems such as unemployment. X

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