Kuala Lumpur, Aug 9 - Malaysia should not be branded or perceived as a breeding ground for terrorists just because of the involvement of one or two people, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has said following the reported killing of Malaysia-born militant Noordin M. Top in Indonesia.

Yassin was reacting Sunday to the reports that Top, a leader of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI)'s splinter group, was believed to have been shot dead in Temanggung, Central Java Friday. Noordin was believed to have masterminded many of Indonesia's major terrorist attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings that claimed 202 lives.

Malaysia was a democratic and peaceful country for a long time, Yassin was quoted as saying by Star Online.

'(Everywhere) there are good and bad people. Just because (of) one or two... it is not fair to brand us as a breeding ground for terrorists.