KUALA LUMPUR Dec 22 - Cybercafe owners should support the government's move to register customers of their Internet services as this will check abuse of the facility.

Energy, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Leo Moggie said the proposal should not be viewed as an attempt to restrict the free flow of information.

''The idea of the move is to monitor the usage of Internet. It is to discourage irresponsible usage of the Internet,'' he told reporters after launching the Creativity '98 Multimedia and Innovative Design Exhibition here today.

The move was to curb negative exposure to the Internet, particularly among the young, he said.

Moggie said Malaysia is one of the most liberal countries in terms of accessibility to Internet.

''Some countries even try to block access to the Internet but we are not doing that,'' he said.

On the multimedia industry, Moggie said Malaysia has the advantage of having a multi-cultural society which provides the basis for an original and creative local multimedia content and design.

As such, students taking multimedia courses can use this advantage to become world-class players in the multimedia industry, he said.