PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian billionaire Robert Kuok has thanked Malaysians for speaking up and supporting him after he came under criticism following allegations published against him in an online portal.

Blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin had posted three articles on his Malaysia Today website last month, alleging that Tan Sri Kuok was funding various political parties to overthrow the government.

The allegations against Mr Kuok had sparked harsh criticism of the 94-year-old Hong Kong-based billionaire by senior members of Umno, the Malay dominant party leading the Barisan Nasional coalition.

In response, Mr Kuok refuted the allegations and said he reserved the right to take action against the portal.

The portal on Monday (March 5) removed three articles it published containing the allegations against Mr Kuok after being instructed by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to do so.

A media statement from Mr Kuok's office on Tuesday (March 6) said Mr Kuok "would like to record his gratitude to fellow Malaysians who have spoken up in his support and against attempts to besmirch his reputation and undermine his loyalty to the nation".

"Mr Kuok is grateful for the quick and appropriate action taken by the Complaints Bureau and the Enforcement & Investigation Division of the MCMC," the statement said.

"It should be noted that neither Malaysia Today nor Raja Petra Kamarudin have responded to letters issued by Mr Robert Kuok's solicitors in Malaysia and the United Kingdom," it added.

"Mr Kuok notes that Malaysia Today and Raja Petra Kamarudin have continued to make similar baseless statements in a number of related articles which have been published on the Malaysia Today website," the statement added.

"As such, Mr Robert Kuok firmly reserves his rights to take all necessary legal steps against Malaysia Today and the author, and anyone repeating further libelous statements."