"It seems that the world does not want to recognise what I have said as true," Mahathir was quoted as saying in The Star newspaper.

"Now they are talking about the need to regulate currency trading. But they will never say they accept our views because they are very proud," he said.

The Hong Kong government made the unprecedented move of intervening in the stock market and buying shares last Friday, and is believed to have been in the market every trading day.

Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa said on Thursday the government would continue to intervene in the stock market as long as speculators attacked the dollar with the aim of depressing the share market and taking profits on short stock positions.

Mahathir has repeatedly said he believes speculative currency trading should be regulated after the currencies of several SE Asian nations including the Malaysian ringgit were heavily sold down. The ringgit has lost around 40 per cent of its value against the US Dollar since July last year.