KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A Malaysian minister Monday shot down a colleague's plan to require women travelling abroad alone to carry a letter from their parents verifying the reason for their journey.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who has final say on immigration rules and would be responsible for implementing any such plan, appeared to close debate on the idea Monday.

"It will not be practical," Syed Hamid said. "How can we ask an adult person to report to the mother or to her parents? They have to lead their own lives."

"We do not discriminate against women. So long as it is an adult person, it is within their right to travel anywhere," he said.

The proposal was born out of concern over government statistics that showed 119 Malaysians _ 90 percent of them women _ are imprisoned abroad for drug-related offenses. Most are aged between 21 and 27 years.

Drug traffickers who want to smuggle drugs into the European Union recruit Malaysians because they do not require visas for short stays there.

Rais said many women leave the country on the pretext of work or attending courses and seminars but end up working for international drug syndicates. He said a letter from the women's parents or employers would weed out genuine travelers from those involved in illicit business.

Women's groups said the idea was ridiculous because immigration authorities would have no way of identifying if a letter was forged or genuine. Also, they said it would be an infringement of human rights.

Syed Hamid, a former foreign minister, said the government will try to implement awareness programs to prevent women from being duped and will cooperate with Interpol to identify syndicates that use women.

"We have to create awareness so that they are not attracted by offers of handsomely paid jobs overseas unless they know the background of the person making the offer," he said.