The international financier, George Soros, has called for the removal of the Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir Mohammad.

Mr Soros, speaking in Washington,analysed the currency controls introduced by Dr Mahathir.

Mr Soros said Dr Mahathir was preserving himself in power and putting himself in a position where he could bail out what he called the Malaysian leader's cronies.

The BBC's Economics correspondent said this view was quite widely shared in the international financial community, but never articulated until now.

But our correspondent says Dr Mahathir enjoys wide support among ordinary people in his region, and is seen as a beacon against the forces of international finance.

Mr Soros' comments are the latest in a series of angry public exchanges between the two men.

Last year Dr Mahathir accused international speculators, and Mr Soros in particular, of being responsible for the Asian financial crisis.